Full Circle
by Cora Summers
Summary: AU-ish. Olivia’s mother loses custody of her when she is young. She either dies or someone learns about the abuse. She is then moved around a few times before she comes to stay with the Cabot’s. A/O
1. Chapter 1

The characters are the property of Dick Wolf and NBC.

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Full Circle

Eight year old Olivia Benson, dressed in one of her best outfits, sat next to her new friend Elizabeth Donnelly at the big brown table, while her other new friend, Maxine Grey, sat behind them. Olivia had met Maxine the day her neighbor called the Department of Children and Families. She was introduced to Elizabeth when Maxine told her that her mother couldn't take care of her anymore until she got better. Elizabeth was going to help get Serena to give up custody until she was better. Both women promised that this would stop Olivia from hurting on the outsides when her mother drank the clear liquid that wasn't water.

Now, sitting in the courtroom, Olivia was happy her mother would be getting the help she needed. Maybe then they could be happy together and Serena wouldn't be mad because her father was a "bastard rapist." Olivia still felt funny when she thought about that. She wasn't quite sure what it meant, but she knew it wasn't good. Olivia brought her attention back to the judge.

"In light of the present circumstances," he started, "I am ordering that Olivia Benson be removed from the custody of Ms. Serena Benson. Ms. Benson, I am also ordering that you enter a rehabilitation program and complete a counseling regiment with a court appointed therapist. Once you have completed the rehab and made sufficient progress in counseling, you are more than welcome to file to regain the custody of your daughter."

The bang of the gavel made Olivia jump a little. She looked over at her mother. She wanted to get up and hug her goodbye, but before she could, Serena stood and walked out of the courtroom, not even sparing a glance at her daughter. Olivia felt a little sad by this. That passed though as she looked up into the smiling faces of Maxine and Elizabeth. Elizabeth gave her a hug and wished her luck before packing up her brief case and heading back to her office. Maxine came up to her and took her hand. "You're going to fine now, sweetheart. She can't hurt yo anymore."

As she let Maxine lead her out of the courthouse and towards the car that would take her to meet her foster parents, Olivia hoped Maxine was right.

Thirteen year old Olivia Benson now looked back on that day and laughed humorlessly. Sure her mother hadn't been able to hurt her anymore, but that didn't mean the bastards and pricks that were able to fool the state didn't try. She was currently sitting in the passenger side of Maxine's car on her way to her seventh home in five years.

She had only been with the first family for about three months. She had been shy and didn't like to talk or come out of her room much. They were a nice couple, but didn't think they would be able to provide the kind of environment Olivia needed. The called DCF and Maxine was there to get her the next day.

She stayed with the second family for the rest of the year. Her foster mother hadn't been especially abusive, but she was always telling Olivia she could do better. There weren't many nine year olds who would get straight A's in school, but nothing was ever good enough for this woman. She was taken away from that family when the woman was diagnosed with an untreated case of bipolar disorder. The people with DCF did not want Olivia in the house while she was adjusting to her medication.

Family three had been the shortest of them all. A month into her stay, Maxine came to pay an unscheduled home visit only to walk in on her foster father smacking Olivia across the face. She was packed and out of that house before she could blink. As she sat in Maxine's office with an ice back to take away the swelling from the rapidly forming bruise, Maxine reluctantly told Olivia the real reason she had come to visit. Her mother had died. Serena was found at the bottom of a set of subway stairs. It wasn't until later, Olivia would learn that her mother was drunk. That was the day Olivia swore off any forms of heavy drinking. At nine years old she had a two drink limit for when she was old enough.

The next three families had all kind of blurred together. They had all tried to give her what she needed at first. If they couldn't handle her, they would either call DCF or try and reform her with abuse, both physical and verbal. She learned early on to shut out the verbal and the physical usually only left a few bruises.

She looked back across the car towards Maxine. She couldn't blame the woman for what had happened to her. Maxine was only placing Olivia with families her boss told her to. That and Maxine had introduced Olivia to her only friend that was her age. She had known Maxine's daughter Amy since she had first met Maxine. Even though they didn't get to see each other that 

often, they were still the best of friends and could tell each other everything. It was through Amy that Maxine usually found out about Olivia's unhappiness.

"I think you are really going to like it here, Liv," Maxine said while still looking at the road. She slowed down and pulled into a large driveway that lead to a huge house. "I picked this family myself. They even have a daughter, so you won't have to be by yourself all the time."

Olivia smiled when she heard Maxine had picked the family. She had always been a very good judge of character, so that made her feel more confident about the move. "I was wondering when you were going to stop trusting those bone heads you call 'sir', Max," Olivia said. She gave a small smile at Maxine's attempt at a glare and laughed when Maxine couldn't hold her smile back any longer.

"If it makes you feel any better those other families have had their foster parent certifications taken away," Maxine said by way of apology. She stopped and put the car in park.

"Yeah, cause I love being the guinea pig for new qualified pit stop parents," Olivia said. Her reply dripped with sarcasm. Maxine sighed as she watched the young teen get out and grab her things. She prayed this would be the last time she had to move the girl.


	2. Chapter 2

See the first chapter for disclaimers.

**A/N: Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be working on and updating all of my stories. Send me a message to let me know which one you want to see a continuation from first. And thank all of you for reading.**

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As Maxine and Olivia walked up to the front door, Olivia took in the house and the yard surrounding it. It was a white two story house with a roof made from red shingles. By counting the windows, Olivia guessed there were maybe five or six rooms on the first floor and possible four more on the second.

The yard was well taken care of. It looked freshly mowed and the hedges lining the property were perfectly clipped. There was also a decorative well in the middle, but until she looked at it closer, Olivia would be able to know if it was real or not. Turning back to the door, Olivia saw Maxine look at her as if asking if she was ready. She took an almost unnoticeable deep breath. After letting it out, she nodded, ready to meet her new guardians.

Maxine shot her a reassuring smile before she knocked on the door. It wasn't long before a woman who looked to be in her later thirties answered the door. Her pale blonde hair was pulled back into a loose bun. She was wearing a black and white checked sundress with what appeared to be a white belt just under her bust line.

"Good morning, Mrs. Cabot," Maxine greeted. "I'm Maxine Grey. We spoke on the phone?"

"Yes, we did. And please call me Sophie," she told them. Sophie opened the door wider so they two could enter the house. "You must be Olivia," she said as she looked towards Liv. "It is very nice to meet you." She offered her hand to the girl.

Olivia shook it for as long as was polite before slowly extricating her hand from the older woman's. Understanding Olivia's reluctance to hold on longer than was necessary, Sophie only smiled.

"Why don't you introduce Olivia to your daughter?" Maxine suggested. "That way we don't have to bore her with matters that she's already been through."

"That's a wonderful idea," Sophie replied. "Alexandra, could you come in here for a moment?"

Olivia turned in the direction Sophie had called and watched as a very small girl with long, straight blonde hair sulk into the room. She stopped as soon as she entered, crossed her arms and scowled. "Alexandra, this is Olivia Benson. Olivia, meet my daughter Alexandra Cabot." Alex barely spared Olivia a glance. When she did look at the older girl it was more of a glare. Olivia stuffed one of her thumbs in her pants pocket and waved with the other hand before doing the same thing with it. "Alexandra, why don't you show Olivia to her room? Then you girls can get to know each other while looking around the house."

Alex turned and walked out of the room, not sparing a second glance at Olivia. Olivia turned and gave Maxine a look that said _are you serious?_ Maxine gave an imperceptible shrug and nodded her head in the direction Alex had gone, telling Olivia to follow. Sighing, Olivia picked up her bag and walked out of the room.

"She hasn't said anything, but I think Alex is a little wary of us taking Olivia in," Sophie explained.

Maxine nodded in understanding. "Only child syndrome," she explained. "Subconsciously, she probably thinks you will be paying more attention to Olivia. Even though Alexandra is eleven, it is still a very common feeling."

"But she will be able to adjust, right?" Sophie asked, a little worried about the effect this would have on her daughter.

"Of course she will," Maxine assured the other woman. She wasn't sure though if that reassurance was for her as well.

Meanwhile, Olivia followed the young girl down the hall. Feeling awkward with the silence, Olivia tried to make conversation. "So, Alexandra…"

"It's Alex," she interrupted.

"Ok, Alex. How old are you?" Olivia asked.

"Eleven. And you're thirteen," Alex replied curtly. She stopped in front of a door and opened it. She stepped inside. Even though she was confused with the she was receiving from the younger girl, Olivia followed her in.

Taken the room in, Olivia was mildly impressed, although she would never admit that to anyone. The walls were painted a pale blue which made a small smile appear on Olivia's lips. All of the other families had painted the room she would be staying pink just because she was a girl. Olivia hated pink. Everything else matched. Different shades of blue made up the sheets, bedspread, pillow cases, and curtains. There were two other doors in the room, one she assume to be the closet, but had no idea what was behind the other. There was also a dresser and a small desk. Setting her stuff on the bed, Olivia looked at Alex and nodded her head in approval.

Alex just rolled her eyes. "Look, let's just get one thing straight," she said as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'm not exactly a huge fan of you staying here, but it's something my parents want. From what I've been told multiple kids often leave someone feeling neglected and as I am the only other child here, I would be the neglected one."

Olivia looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Are you sure you're only eleven?" she asked. "Besides, I thought the older one was always the one being ignored so that the parents could take care of the needs of the younger child."

"I may be the younger one, but you're newer," Alex said as if it explained everything.

"Anyone ever tell you that you could be a lawyer?" Olivia asked.

Alex ignored the question and continued on. "Look, as long as you stay out of my way then I'll stay out of yours. This way we can get through however long you're here unscathed."

Olivia had a mixed feelings running through her. First she was a little confused. What eleven year old used words like unscathed. Next she was slightly hurt that Alex wouldn't even give her a chance, but she would get over that one quick. The one currently in the lead was anger. Giving way to that one Olivia glared at the younger girl. "No skin off my nose, Blondie," she bit back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some unpacking to do."

Alex took the hint and walked out of the room. As soon as she heard the door click shit, Olivia decided to take a look at what was behind the two doors. As she had guessed behind the first was a closet. A pretty big one from the looks of it. The second door through Olivia for a loop. It was a bathroom. Olivia couldn't believe she had her own bathroom. Before she could think on that any further there was a soft knock on her door. She walked out of the bathroom and took a seat on the bed. "Come in," she called out. She smiled when she saw Maxine walk in.

"How are you settling in, Liv?" Maxine asked as she crossed the room and took a seat next to Olivia.

"Pretty good, so far," Olivia responded. She left out her altercation with Alex knowing it would concern Maxine and she didn't really want to be moved again. Besides, Sophie seemed nice enough.

"That's good," Maxine said. She looked at Olivia a little apprehensively. "Listen Olivia, while we were talking, I filled Sophie in on a few things."

"Like?"

"Like, why your mother lost custody," Olivia winced. "And why she never petitioned to regain custody," another wince. "And why you aren't with your father," a wince accompanied by a small shudder.

"Exactly why?" Olivia asked tentatively. Ever since she had found out what her mother meant by "raping bastard" whenever she had described her father, Olivia had been a little wary of people knowing that her father had raped her mother and Olivia was the result.

"Exactly why," Maxine nodded.

Olivia thought for a moment and then sighed. "At least that's one thing I won't have to worry about," she said as she gave Maxine a small smile.

Maxine let out a sigh of relief, knowing what kind of temper the teenager already had. "I also talked to her about Amy," Maxine said. She smiled when she saw Olivia's focus snap back at the mention of her best friend. "You actually live a little closer now and she said that as long as you check with them first you can visit and phone calls shouldn't be a problem. I gave her our number and also Liz's."

Olivia smiled at the last comment. She wouldn't have to wait to be moved or her birthday before she got to see her best friend. She had also kept contact with Liz Donnelly since her trial. Although the prosecutor was moving up within the district attorney's office, she had told Olivia that for some reason she couldn't let her case go and wanted to make sure she was doing alright.

Most of the things Olivia had learned since she stepped into the Cabot household had made her feel better about her seventh move. Maybe seven really was a lucky number. Now all she had to do was worry about Alex.


	3. Chapter 3

For disclaimer please see chapter 1

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Seventeen year old Olivia Benson sat on her bed, still in a small state of shock. Why? Why did she have to use the main bathroom? Why couldn't she wait the twenty seconds until she got to her own? Hell, why couldn't Alex have locked the door? She shook her head, trying to dispel the images that now seemed to be ingrained in her memory.

_Olivia rushed down the hallway towards the bathroom. She could have just as easily used her own, but the main bathroom was closer. She wasn't really paying attention and listening for any sounds from the inside, as she thought she was the only one in the house. Opening the door she froze as she took in the view. Alex was in the shower. The curtain wasn't closed all the way and Olivia got an eyeful. Olivia promptly shut the door, thankful Alex hadn't noticed the interruption._

Olivia groaned as she put her palms to her eyes and leaned back so she was lying on her bed. She tried to use her hands to squeeze the images out, but it didn't work. It only seemed to make them clearer. The swell of her breasts, the way the muscles moved beneath what Olivia imagined was soft skin, the taunt stomach, the fact Alex is actually a natural blonde. As this image flashed to the front of her mind, Olivia shot up off the bed and started to pace, desperate to think of anything besides what she just saw. But her thoughts didn't seem to stray far.

She thought of how her body reacted to the sight before her. Olivia had always wondered why she never got that sweaty palm, heart racing, weak in the knees feeling all of the other girls she knew got when they were talking with a cute boy. With the way Olivia's heart was racing after what she just saw, she now had a pretty good idea why she never had that feeling with a boy. Olivia couldn't be more grateful that she was going over to Amy's house for the night. This was definitely something you talked to your best friend about.

Olivia didn't have a problem that she might be gay. In fact she had actually suspected it for a while. The thing she did have an issue with was the sudden object of her lust. How could you physically respond to someone who you couldn't stand? Although that was entirely true. Olivia really didn't mind Alex. She had seen and heard the young blonde interact with her friends and it was like Alex was an entirely different person. She smiled more, and laughed a lot, a sound that Olivia didn't mind hearing. She even defended things she believed in with conviction. Olivia smiled to herself as she still thought Alex would make a hell of a lawyer. No, Olivia didn't mind Alex, just the attitude the blonde had towards her, something she still didn't fully understand.

If Olivia were honest with herself, she had felt this way for a long time. Ever since the first time she had seen Alex interact with someone other than herself, or Sophie and Nathan. The adults knew nothing of the tension between Alex and Olivia. They were always polite and courteous in front of the elder Cabots, but would barely look at each other when they were on their own. That was another thing that threw Olivia. If Alex hated her so much, why didn't she try to cause problems, get her moved to another home? Maybe she hadn't thought of it before, and now it was pointless as Olivia would be going off to college next year.

Olivia finished packing her bag and walked out of her room. She stopped at the side table in the leaving room. Sophie knew Olivia was going to Amy's house tonight, but she just wanted to be sure so she left a note. Placing the note next to the picture frame on the table, Olivia grabbed her keys off the hook and walked out to her car. She was actually very proud of her car. It wasn't anything special, but she had worked hard to save the money for it and was surprised on her 16th birthday when Sophie and Nathan said they would match whatever she had saved and add a thousand dollars.

What shocked her even more was that they threw her a birthday party. It was the first real party she had received in the eight years she had been in the foster care system. Sure the Cabots' had made sure to celebrate it in some way, but this year they actually planned a surprise birthday party for her, inviting all her friends from school, Amy, Amy's brothers Vincent and Peter, Maxine, and even Liz. Alex stayed for as long as was polite and then took off. They didn't really have the same friends. At school they avoided each other as much as was feasibly possible. It was always easy though, with Alex being on the pep squad and Olivia being a very active athlete. But they did manage. In fact they were so good at ignoring each other, very few people knew they even lived in the same house.

Olivia started the car, pulled it out of the drive, and pointed it in the direction of Amy's house. Maxine hadn't been lying when she said Olivia lived closer. Amy was actually just one school district over, so they saw each other when their schools played in sports. It made basketball for the both of them more fun as they each played the same position and always ended up having to defend the other.

Amy knew Olivia was having issues with Alex, it was something they talked about regularly. Olivia briefly wondered what Amy would think of this latest bit of news. She didn't have long to think about that as Amy's house came into view. She pulled into what had become her spot, right behind Amy's car.

Olivia had been here so often, knocking was only a formality that she rarely observed. She walked into the house, but saw no one in the living room. "Hello?" she called out.

"In the kitchen, Liv," she heard Maxine call out.

Olivia made her way into the kitchen and saw Maxine and Amy making dinner. "Where's Vincent?" she asked. Peter had gone off to school last year, so it was understandable why he wasn't helping.

"He had a meeting with the school paper, and said he would be a little late," Maxine explained.

Olivia nodded and jumped in helping out. Usually when she came over, she set the table, as Amy and Maxine already had all the food made. Tonight was no different. After everything was on the table and ready to go, the three women sat down and began to catch up on what had happened since the last time Olivia had been there. Maxine noticed that Olivia was being quieter than usual, but didn't say anything, knowing she was far more likely to open up to Amy and if it was really important Amy would let her know.

Dinner past with a lot of laughing on everyone's part and a little bit of fidgeting on Olivia's part. As soon as they were done, Maxine excused the two girls from kitchen clean up, knowing Amy would want to find out what was bothering her friend.

The two girls went up to Amy's room. The door was barely closed before Amy turned on her friend. "Ok, spill it, Liv. What's been bothering you all night?"

Olivia sighed and flopped down on Amy's bed. "What you say if I told you I was gay?" she asked, raising her head to look at her best friend.

For a moment it looked as though Amy was shocked. When she didn't respond, Olivia began to get a little worried. Her fear gave way to relief as she saw Amy start to smile. "I'd say why the hell didn't you tell me sooner?"

"You knew?" Liv asked incredulously.

"You didn't?" Amy smirked.

Olivia returned the gesture. "Ok, so I had a feeling, but it wasn't really confirmed until something that happened this afternoon."

"Oooh, did you kiss someone? Who was it? I bet it was that point guard. You know I always thought the only reason she passed you the ball all the time was because she liked you. Or maybe it was…"

Olivia had to laugh at her friend's excitement. "Amy, Amy calm down," Olivia said. After the red head had calmed some, she continued. "I didn't kiss anyone."

"Well then what happened?" a confused Amy asked.

Olivia took a deep breath and told Amy everything that happened that afternoon, from walking in on Alex, to her body's reaction. When she finished, she looked up, hoping her friend could offer some advice.

"Wow, Liv," Amy breathed. "You sure know how to pick 'em."

"Tell me about it," Olivia groaned.

"I mean its one thing for you to notice your preferences around a foster sibling, it's another to notice around one that doesn't like you."

"I know," Olivia groaned again. "Tell me what I should do."

"Well first, you have to ask yourself if you want anything to come from this," Amy said. She watched as Olivia thought it over.

"I really think I do," Olivia told her. "I know we don't really get along, but we never even gave each other a chance. I just don't know what I'm gonna do." Olivia put her elbows on her knees and leaned her head into her palms so that her hands were covering her eyes.

Amy sat down on the bed and put her arm around her friend. "Don't worry, Liv. We'll think of something."


	4. Chapter 4

For disclaimers, please see chapter one.

**A/N: I know I never mentioned it before, but this is a crossover between SVU and Judging Amy. Obviously, I don't own those characters either.**

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Amy and Olivia stayed up most of the night talking about Olivia's problem. They finally decided that Olivia should interact with Alex as little as possible so as not to raise any suspicions of her newfound feelings. Amy also thought it would be a good idea if Olivia got out and met people. She decided that starting Friday nights they would make it a point of frequent some of the gay clubs in the area. She even went so far as to say that she would pose as Olivia's girlfriend if the brunette received any unwanted attention.

Olivia wasn't sure how much she really liked that idea, but knew she didn't have a better one. She fell into an uneasy sleep and woke up feeling less rested then the night before. Unlike her usual overnight stays, Olivia wasn't up for staying for breakfast. She made a hasty good-bye to Maxine and apologized for having to leave so early.

Although she was confused by the young girl's behavior, Maxine knew better than to push either girl for information. She also knew that if it was important they would ask for her advice. Otherwise, they would come to her when they were ready. She just hoped it had nothing to do with problems for the Cabots.

The entire drive home, Olivia thought about some of the things Amy had suggested to her. She couldn't imagine how awkward it could be between the two of them if they actually had to kiss each other let alone any other type of couple activity. Amy assured her that she would be fine with it, but that wasn't even the part that bothered Olivia the most. Could she really go out and meet, much less date other people when she had such strong feelings for Alex? She knew that there was very little chance Alex would ever return feelings, even if she was gay. For some reason, Alex couldn't stand Olivia, something she hoped to figure out soon. She didn't have to really worry about that because Alex was your typical All-American girl. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a cheerleader, and dating the varsity quarterback, a very male varsity quarterback, even if she was only a sophomore. No, it was almost impossible for Alexandra Cabot to be gay, let alone fall in love with Olivia Benson. She pulled into the Cabots driveway knowing one thing was for sure: the best way to get over Alex would be to go through with Amy's plan. She just prayed to whoever was listening that it worked.

She walked into the house and through to the kitchen, hoping no one would be awake this early. She was disappointed however when she saw that Sophie was sitting at the table with the morning paper and a cup of coffee. Olivia internally sighed, knowing the older woman would have at least some questions.

Sophie for her part was confused when she saw Olivia was already home. Usually when she spent the night at Amy's, she wasn't home until sometime after one in the afternoon. She looked at the clock again which confirmed it was still only just after eight. Thinking maybe she and Amy had a fight, Sophie prepared herself for what she hoped would be a chance to offer Olivia some help. In the four years Olivia had been with them, Sophie couldn't remember once when the young girl had come to her or Nathan asking for advice. She wasn't sure if she should be worried about Olivia being so independent or not. Her consolation was that Olivia's choices were never bad, or without thought, so it eased her mind somewhat.

"Morning, Olivia," she greeted the teen. "You're home early." She knew that something had to be on Olivia's mind in order for her to be home at this hour. While raising two teenage girls had been easier than she expected, she still knew that she had to approach any kind of issue conversationally.

Olivia knew that Sophie thought there was something wrong. She also knew that she wasn't ready to say what it was just yet. How do you tell your foster mother that you're falling in love with her daughter? Knowing that definitely wasn't a good idea, Olivia opted to just omit a few things in her explanation. "Yeah, I didn't sleep very well last night for some reason," she shrugged in response. "I was alert enough to make the drive home and I decided it wouldn't be polite to fall asleep at the breakfast table, so I came home to see if I could sleep better here."

As much as Sophie tried to hide it, Olivia could still see the flicker of disappointment flash across her features. Olivia knew how much Sophie wanted her to view her as a mother figure, and Olivia had tried. She wanted to let her in, but she didn't know how. Olivia had never had someone who was exactly the mothering type while she was growing up. By the time she had come to stay with the Cabots she was already so dependent on herself, she just stayed with the families because the law said she had to. Maybe she'd try and figure out a way to let her in after she had gotten some decent rest. At the moment she was too tired.

She had just turned to leave the kitchen when she heard Sophie's voice call her back. "Olivia?"

Turning around, Olivia answered. "Yeah, Sophie?"

"Do you think you'll be able to give Alex a ride to her cheerleading fundraiser today?" Sophie asked. "Nathan or I would, but we have to attend some kind of event at Nathan's office."

As much as part of Olivia wanted to distance herself from the younger blonde at the moment, another parted wanted to spend time with her just as much, if not more. "Yeah, I can do that," Olivia responded. "What time does she have to be there?"

Sophie smiled in response. She may not be able to get Olivia to open up to her, but she was always dependable, sometimes, it seemed, too dependable for a seventeen year old. "Not until noon, so you should be able to get some sleep before you have to leave."

Olivia gave her a small smile, acknowledging the older woman's consideration. Nodding her understanding, she once again made to leave the kitchen. She walked up to her room and collapsed onto her bed, not bothering to change back into pajamas. Figuring three more hours was better than nothing, she set her alarm for eleven and drifted off into a somewhat more restful sleep than she had the night before.

At least three hours had been the desired amount of time. Olivia had been lying awake for nearly thirty minutes by the time her alarm had gone off. At half past ten, Olivia had shot awake from an all too vivid dream. She knew that part of being a lesbian was sexual attraction to women, but she didn't think dreams like _that_ would happen so soon after realizing it. Every time she closed her eyes her dream had replayed in her mind.

_Olivia opened the door to the bathroom, again not knocking or listening for sounds coming from within. The same scene as the day before stretched out in front of her, only this time she didn't freak out and go running off to her room. Instead, she realized that just like her blonde companion already in the shower, she was also wearing nothing. _

_Taking a bold step forward, she opened the shower door. The sight greeting her was enough to take Olivia's breath away. Alex was standing under the spray of the shower, blonde hair, wet and laying just below the shoulders. Olivia watched as the suds from the body wash cascaded down the blonde's body._

_Closing the door behind her, Olivia stepped up to the seemingly unsuspecting blonde and wrapped her arms around her waist. To her surprise, Alex didn't tense at the touch. Instead she brought her own hands to cover Olivia's. _

_Deciding to see where this will, go, Olivia began nuzzling the slightly shorter girls neck. Appreciating the attention, Alex tilted her head to the side, allowing the brunette better access. Taking this as permission to continue, Olivia began kissing along the contours of the neck and shoulders, occasionally accompanied by soft nibbles being soothed by a quick flick of the tongue._

_Not being able to help herself, Olivia began to trail a hand up Alex's torso. Her breathing started to become ragged as she neared what she imagined was a near perfect breast. Just as her fingers brushed the underside of the soft mound…Olivia bolted upright, not knowing if her shortness of breath was from the surprise of the dream, or the state it left her in._

Now, thirty minutes later, all calmed down, Olivia still lay thinking about what she had dreamt. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or disappointed that it had been so short, or that it ended where it did. What she did know was she had no idea how she was going to face Alex without thinking if everything she had seen of the blonde's body was real, or just images her mind had conjured.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia got out of bed and ready to face the inevitable. She took off her now wrinkled t-shirt and tossed it into her laundry hamper. She grabbed a random tank top out of her dresser, a black one, and pulled it on. Picking up her dark grey zip-up hooded sweatshirt, she left her room and went down stairs in search of Alex. Hearing sounds coming from the kitchen, Olivia decided to start there. However she was not prepared for the sight in front of her.

Alex was standing in front of the open refrigerator in a pair of short jean shorts, a pale pink tank top and what appeared to be her bikini top. The tied strings were visible on the blonde's neck. Thankful the younger girl had not been alerted to her presence yet, Olivia took a moment to compose herself.

Taking another deep breath, Olivia greeted the blonde. "Hey Alex, ready to go?"

Startling slightly, Alex turned and glared in the brunette's direction. "Did you have to sneak up on me like that?"

Hiding her amusement, Olivia stared back. "I thought her heard me coming, sorry," she responded in a tone that said she was anything but.

"Yeah right, Olivia. I've never been able to hear you coming. You walk lighter than a damn ghost. Someone would think you were training to be a cop or something."

Although Olivia had to admit that the sight of an angry Alexandra Cabot sent pleasant shivers through her, she didn't want to start an argument just for the sake of having one. After all, she did still have to live in the same house as her. "Whatever, Alex. Are you ready to go or not?"

"Yeah," Alex sighed. "If we don't leave now I'll be late anyway." She took a small bottle of orange juice out of the fridge, closed it and walked out of the kitchen, Olivia close behind. They both walked out to Olivia's car and got in.

"Where exactly am I taking you?" Olivia asked, suddenly remembering no one had told her where this fundraiser was taking place.

"Just the high school parking lot. We're doing a carwash to raise money for new uniforms," Alex explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Olivia rolled her eyes, but didn't respond. She started the car, pulled out of the driveway, and started in the direction of the high school. Both teens were content to make the short trip in silence, either not wanting to talk or not sure what to say. When they arrived at the school, Alex was already in the process of exiting the car when the sound of Olivia's voice made her pause.

"Do you need me to pick you up?" Olivia asked.

For some reason the question confused Alex. Olivia had never willingly played chauffeur for her, why was she so willing to now? "No," she replied hesitantly. "I'm getting a ride home with Connie."

"Alright, I'll see you later then," Olivia said. She watched as Alex got out of the car with the confused look still firmly in place. She couldn't help but smile as she made her way back home. Alex was even cute when she was confused. However, that smile was soon replaced by a frown. Amy was right. She had to do something to get rid of her feelings for straight housemate. Starting Friday night, she would start going out to see what else was out there.


	5. Chapter 5

"Amy, I'm not so sure this is a great idea," Liv said. "How can we even be sure this is the right place?" She turned her head away from her best friend and once more looked out the window as they drove up to a non-descript building a friend of Peter's had told them about. Olivia was still having trouble believing that this building, as much as it looked like a warehouse, was actually a bar for people like her.

"I'm positive this is the place, Liv," Amy replied as she parked the car.

"How did you even hear about this place?" Olivia asked. She got out of the car and stuffed her hands in her pockets and leaned against the side of the car as she waited for her friend to join her.

"I was hanging out at my mom's desk and this kid was in his case workers office. She kept asking him why he was here all the time. He told her it was a gay bar. I wrote down the name and looked up the address. I figured that this would be a good start to the plan."

_The Plan_, Liv thought. The plan, according to Amy, was for Olivia to go out, meet people, and get the blonde foster sister out of her head. However, Olivia didn't know if that was possible. Ever since she realized that she liked girls, she had been thinking about Alex a lot. Not just in a sexual way, even though the lord knew there were plenty of those thoughts, but also on the current relationship she had with Alex. Most of it was about why Alex seemed to have so much animosity towards her. Part of her thought that maybe it had something to do with the fact that Olivia's arrival made it so Alex was no longer an only child. The other part of her thought that it had to be something deeper than that. Sure there was another kid in the house, but Olivia kept to herself most of the time, so she really didn't take away from attention the Cabots bestowed upon their daughter. One day, maybe Olivia would get the courage to ask Alex what it was she did to make it seem like she hated her.

As Amy rounded the car, joining her, Olivia shook herself out of her thoughts. It wouldn't do to be so distracted by the one person she came here to try and forget about.

"Ready?" Amy asked.

"As I'll ever be," Olivia responded after taking a deep breath. The duo made their way towards the entrance, Olivia holding the door for Amy. They walked inside but were stopped by a man they were pretty sure was a bouncer.

"ID's please, _ladies_," he said. Neither girl caught the emphasis he place on the last word. They each produced the IDs Amy's brother Peter had helped them get. The bouncer checked them over, returned them and let them enter. They looked around and saw a lot of guys bouncing around and dancing to the thumping beat of the music.

"Aren't many girls here," Olivia yelled over the beat.

"Maybe their coming later?" Amy offered.

Olivia wasn't so sure about that, but followed Amy up to the bar anyway. They each ordered a drink, non-alcoholic. While, yes, they had gone through the trouble of getting fake IDs, neither girl was rebellious enough to risk going home drunk, plus Olivia still wasn't sure if she wanted to drink, given her history.

They had been standing by the bar for less than ten minutes when they were approached by a short Asian man in tight leather pants, and a black vest. "Evening ladies," he greeted them.

"Hi," both girls replied in unison.

"You must be new," he said.

"New?" Olivia repeated, a little confused. Could he tell it was their first time here just by looking at them?

"Well, either one of you just realized your gay, or you both did," the man explained with a smile.

"And how exactly can you tell that?" Amy asked.

"Take a look around, kitten. Do you see anyone that would be either of your type here?" he asked them. "And you're both far too young to be fag hags, so I know you're not trying to expand your circle of friends."

Olivia and Amy both did what the man had said. They noticed that not only did they not see many women there, but they didn't see any. Everyone in the club, besides them of course, was male and most likely looking for another male to hook up with.

"So wait, are you telling us that this…"

"Is a club exclusively for men to meet other men," the man laughed.

Olivia glared at Amy. "What, all I heard the kid say was that it was a gay club, he never said it was only for guys," Amy defended herself.

At this the man started laughing. "Come on. I'll buy you two a drink, and you can tell me the whole story. "I'm George by the way."

Olivia and Amy introduced themselves and they all made their way to a quiet corner, or at least as quiet as you can get in a club, and began talking. The girls told George about themselves, and how they had found out about the club. In turn, they found out that George was actually going to school to become a psychiatrist. He told them that he was interested in working with the police, and interviewing criminals. For some reason Olivia found it funny that not only did they all seem to get along really well, but they all wanted to go into some form of law enforcement. After talking, occasionally dancing, for more than 2 hours, the girls told George good night, but not before he made them promise to get together next week and he would show them a place that was more their scene.

When they got back to Amy's house, Olivia had a good feeling about things. She hadn't really thought about Alex all night. Maybe it would be easier to get over the blonde than she thought.

The trio spent the next few months going out together, at least once a month, if not more. George showed them bars and clubs that were more for Olivia's tastes, or a mix of guys and girls, or were gay friendly, giving Amy a chance to meet someone too. Olivia met quite a few girls that she was attracted to, but none that she was sure she wanted to pursue a relationship with yet. Amy, on the other hand, met a guy that she was interested in and they actually started dating. His name was Kevin, and as Olivia couldn't find anything wrong with him, he passed the best friend test. George said that he was too young for something serious, and kept playing the field, safely of course.

Not long after Amy met Kevin, Olivia happened to acquire 4 tickets to a band by the name of Scottish Mafia. Originally, the plan had been for Olivia, George, Amy and Kevin to go, but George had had to back out so he could study for his finals. That allowed Kevin to invite one of his friends along. He made sure to check with Olivia first though. Olivia had trusted him enough to come out, and his friend was meant to be her date. The Friday night before the concert though, his sister went into labor, and his parents decided they were all going to visit her in the hospital, in Pennsylvania, making it next to impossible for him to get back for the concert the next night. That was also the same night Olivia was handed some news that she could have done without as well.

She had just gotten off the phone with Amy who had called to tell her about Kevin, when she was called downstairs by Nathan for some kind of "family meeting." Olivia wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she liked how they included her as part of the family, especially when it came to important things and decisions.

She sat down, a respectable distance from Alex on the sofa and waited for Sophie and Nathan to let them know what was going on.

"You girls are going to have the house to yourself this weekend," Nathan stated without preamble. "My firm needs me to go out of town for business, and because we trust you both, your mother has decided to come with me."

Olivia's excitement about the following night's concert sank a little at this news. She hadn't felt bad about not offering to ask Alex to go with them before Kevin because she hadn't been expecting for her to be alone all weekend. Maybe she would offer the ticket now, and if she was turned down, she would at least feel better for having made the effort.

"The usual rules apply girls," Sophie stated. "No parties, no boys over, (Olivia laughed a little on the inside knowing it wouldn't be a problem to follow that rule), Olivia you can still go to your concert tomorrow, but be careful and nowhere afterwards."

Both girls nodded in understanding.

"Anything else?" Alex asked.

"No, that's about it," Nathan replied. "We're leaving early in the morning, so we'll see you both Monday night."

Alex stood and gave both of her parents a hug and a kiss goodbye. Olivia just quietly left the room and went back up to hers. She wasn't exactly comfortable showing that kind of affection for her foster parents. While she did car for them, she was still unsure she wanted to become too attached to the family. They might want nothing to do with her after she turned 18 and she didn't want to be completely hurt, if that happened.

Not even five minute after she closed her door, she heard Alex enter her own room. She waited another five before making the short trip down the hall and knocking on the blonde's door.

"Come in," Alex said. Judging by the politeness in her tone, Olivia was pretty sure Alex didn't know it was her. She opened the door and leaned against the door frame, sticking her hands in her pockets.

"What do you want?" Alex asked when she saw it was Olivia in her doorway.

"I'm just going to say my piece and leave," Olivia started. "I know that with your parents going out of town this weekend, you're going to be on your own with me going to the concert tomorrow night. Amy's boyfriend can't make it, so I've got an extra ticket. It's your if you want it. The concert starts at eight, I'm picking Amy and a friend of hers up at Amy's house at six. Be ready by 5:45 if you want to go," Olivia finished her short speech and left the younger girl's door, closing it behind her. As she walked back to her room, she felt her excitement for tomorrow night return, but now she wasn't so sure it was just because of the concert.


	6. Chapter 6

For disclaimers, please see chapter one

* * *

Olivia was ready and downstairs a little after five. Usually whenever she was ready early, she would just head over to Amy's house, knowing they would be able talk and kill the extra time. But tonight she would have to wait, as she had given Alex until 5:45 to make her decision. She decided to see about making something to eat, knowing that food around the concert arena would be expensive.

Settling on a sandwich, Olivia sat down and ate, trying her best to keep her eyes off the clock. She knew that the closer it came to the time of her departure, she would grow continuously more anxious, wondering if Alex would join her or not. As she finished her meal, she saw that it was now twenty till, and still no sign or sound from her foster sister. Resigning herself to an awkward blind date with Amy as a chaperone, Olivia moved to the front hall and grabbed the leather jacket she had gotten from Amy for her birthday. Just as she had put the jacket on and was opening the door, she heard movement coming from the direction of the stairs. She turned and couldn't believe her eyes. Alex was coming down the stairs, dressed in jeans, a black t-shirt (which to Olivia, looked a little tight, but she wasn't complaining), her hair pulled back and a jean jacket over her arm. Alex, realizing she was being watched, matched her gaze to Olivia's, who raised her eyebrow in question.

"Don't think it has anything to do with you, Olivia. It's a Saturday night, and I don't want to stay in. If you're the best I can do for the night, then so be it."

It took a lot of effort, but Olivia was able to hide the smirk attempting to break out on her face. She knew they were in for an interesting night. "Alex, do me a favor," Olivia said. "Try not to be your normal, refreshing self and everyone may have a good time tonight."

All Alex could do was glare at her and storm out the door that Olivia had already opened, out to the car. Olivia quietly chuckled to herself as she followed. Oh yes, tonight would definitely be interesting.

*****

The car ride to the Grey house was silent, but not as uncomfortable as it could have been. Olivia was too lost in her thoughts to worry about making conversation with girl in the passenger seat. Would Alex be able to tell what exactly was going on tonight? How would she react if she did work it out for herself? And most of all, would she tell her parents? That particular thought sent her mind into overdrive as several others came surging forward, that she didn't think she was ready to deal with just yet.

Absent mindedly pulling into the driveway, Olivia just stared at the steering wheel, lost in thought. It wasn't until Alex spoke, that she was shaken out of her state.

"So are we going to sit in the driveway all night or are we going to let them know that we're here?" Alex asked.

"What?" Olivia asked. She looked around and saw that they were still in the car. "Yeah sorry."

She unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out of the car. She was halfway to the house before she realized she was not being followed. Walking back to the car, she reopened the driver's door. "You coming?" she asked her passenger.

"Usually my dates open my door for me," Alex responded. Olivia smirked at that answer. "What do you find so amusing, Benson?"

"So I'm your date now? Gee Alex, I never knew you felt that way," Olivia replied.

"Wait…I didn't mean….You aren't…" Alex stammered.

Deciding to let her off the hook, Olivia just rolled her eyes. "Whatever princess. Just get out of the car and come on."

She turned back to the door and not even ten seconds later, the passenger door opened and closed and she smiled as she heard footsteps behind her. Getting up to the door, Olivia grabbed the handle and turned back to Alex. "Remember, be nice," she said as she turned the handle. She was about to open the door when she felt a hand on her arm. Olivia was very glad she was able to hide the shiver it caused to run through her.

"Olivia, what are you doing? You can't just walk in. It's not your house." Alex exclaimed. Apparently, just walking into a house that was not your own without knocking was foreign concept to the blonde.

Again, Olivia rolled her eyes. "Alex, I've just been walking into this house for years. It's like a second home to me," she left out the part where the Grey house would always feel more like a home than the Cabot home, but that was only because she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. If she said something like that, she knew Alex would most likely tell her parents and Nathan and Sophie had always been so nice to her, she didn't want to hurt their feelings. "If you want, I can go in while you stay out here and knock?" Olivia offered, but you'd have to be an idiot not to notice the sarcasm in her voice.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Yes, because that wouldn't be idiotic. Just let the record show, that I'm not one for walking in unannounced," she replied.

Olivia fought hard to contain her laughter at the last statement. If Alex didn't become a lawyer when she grew up, it was definitely a loss for the legal system. She turned the handle, held the door for Alex, and closed it behind herself. "Amy, Max?" she called.

"In here, Liv," she heard from the kitchen.

"Come on," Liv said to Alex, motioning towards the kitchen with a jerk of her head. When they got there, she was only slightly surprised to see a slender red headed girl sitting next to her best friend and her best friend's mom.

The sight of the other girl reminded Olivia exactly who she was and also brought everything she had been thinking of in the car back to her mind. She just hoped she could get through this night without any major incident.

Olivia also wasn't surprised to see the look of confusion on Amy's face at the sight of Alex. Because the invitation was extended so late the night before, Olivia hadn't had the chance to inform her friend of the minor change in plans, and she had been so nervous throughout the day, that it slipped her mind to get a hold of her before they left the Cabot house.

"Hello Olivia," Maxine greeted her. She then turned to Alex. "If I remember correctly, you must be Alexandra. I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Maxine Grey."

"Nice to see you again Mrs. Grey," Alex said. She extended her hand in greeting, and missed the look Amy was giving Olivia. Amy was quick to return a tentative smile to her face when she saw that her mother had released the other girls' hand.

"Alex, this is Amy. Amy, this is Alex," Olivia introduced. She wasn't sure how these two would get along. Amy knew too much about how life with Alex had been up until Olivia's recent discovery, and Alex knew nothing about Amy other than her being Olivia's best friend, which would cause Alex not to like her on principal. When they greeted each other, however, she could tell that they would put aside whatever they thought of the other in order to keep the night from being unpleasant.

Amy turned to Olivia, and then glanced back at the other girl in the room before turning back to her friend. "Olivia, Alex, this is Andrea. Andrea, this is my friend Olivia, and her sister, Alex." As Amy made the introductions, Olivia could hear the emphasis she placed on the word _sister_. She couldn't help but think it was to point out exactly what the relationship was between Alex and herself.

"Nice to meet you, Andrea. And it's foster sister. Olivia and I aren't actually related by birth, choice, or marriage," Alex explained.

Olivia couldn't help but cringe at the blonde's correction. Now, if her date was curious, she would have to explain exactly why she was in the foster care system. When Andrea had released Alex's hand, Olivia nonchalantly wiped her palm on her jeans, hoping no one noticed. She didn't want to reveal how nervous she actual was about tonight. "Nice to meet you, Andrea," Olivia smiled.

"Nice to meet you too, Olivia," Andrea greeted and returned the nervous smile. "But please, call me Andy. Andrea is so formal."

"Andy it is then," Olivia replied, this time with a far more confident smile.

"Good," Amy broke in, "now that everyone has been introduced, I need to borrow Olivia for a few minutes. She needs to help me pick out a jacket."

Olivia gave her friend a confused look. For as long as they had known each other, it had been Amy giving Olivia tips on what went well together, so it was odd that she suddenly needed her help picking a jacked for a concert. She didn't have time to think about it though, as her friend grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her out of the room. She didn't let go until they safely, alone in Amy's room.

"Amy what's going on?" Olivia asked, finally voicing her confusion. "You're the one that's always telling me what to wear. Why do you wall of a sudden need my help?"

"I just said that to give us an excuse to leave the room," Amy said as she rolled her eyes. "What the hell is going on, Benson?"

"What are you talking about?" Liv asked. If she wasn't already confused, she definitely would have been by now.

"I'm talking about bring Alex, your foster sibling who not so secretly hates you/ first female crush out to a concert that is actually your first real date with a girl since you secretly came out. And to top it all off, you didn't even tell me she was coming," Amy explained in one breath. "Do you not see the problem with this?"

"I would have told you, but it was late when I offered and I was nervous about tonight so I forgot to tell you today. And I couldn't help but invite her. The Cabots are out of town this weekend and we got grounded to the house aside from plans already made. I felt bad that she'd be stuck at home," Olivia explained.

"You sure you want to do this, Liv?" Amy asked softly.

"Don't really have much of a choice now, do we?" Olivia replied with a quiet chuckle.

Amy smiled and shook her head. Walking to her closet, she picked out her jacket, without Olivia's help, and put it on. "Well then, let's get downstairs, breakup the awkward tension, and get this show on the road. I have a feeling this is gonna be a night we remember for a long time to come."


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia followed Amy back downstairs to join the others. After getting the standard warning form Maxine—don't talk to strangers, don't take anything from them, stay together—they were allowed out of the house and started on the way to the concert. Olivia drove, with Andy in the front seat, strategically planned by Amy, while Alex and Amy shared the back seat. "Who knows," Amy had said with a wink, "maybe on the way home, we can all trade seats." Alex was confused, Andy blushed, and Olivia just glared. Amy shrugged it off with a smile, as if she had said nothing wrong.

The girls made their way to the concert hall, the backseat virtually silent, while the duo in the front seat made idle chat. Olivia had to admit, it wasn't all that easy trying to get to know your blind date with two chaperones, one being her best friend, who even though she may think she was helping, could come off as a little pushy, the other being the girl she wouldn't admit to anyone besides maybe her best friend, and barely herself, she had fallen for a long time ago, and was now trying to get over.

At the hall, the girls spilt up, Alex and Amy heading straight for their seats, while Olivia and Andy stayed back a little to try and talk without the chaperones. However part of Olivia wished she was the one walking with Alex instead.

Very subtly Olivia shook that though out of her head. _"Snap out of it, Benson,"_ she thought to herself. _"You can't very well have a successful first date with someone if she's not the girl you're thinking about."_

By some design, they're seats were two rows behind Amy's and Alex's, giving them more opportunity to talk freely. For the rest of the night, Olivia tried not to think of Alex at all even though she was right there with them. She didn't ignore her, just tried to focus all her attention on Andy, who turned out to be an interesting person. She was the youngest of five kids and the only girl. Her brothers all worried that a guy would come along and try to take advantage of her. Olivia couldn't help but laugh at that, and had asked if Andy had told any of her brothers yet. Scott, the brother only a year older than her, knew but only because he caught her making out with one of her best friends six months ago. At first he had freaked out and starting asking her all kinds of questions, the most reparative being "What the hell was that?" He eventually realized it that it didn't change her at all. She was still his baby sister, only now he wouldn't have to worry about beating some guy up for breaking her heart.

She told Olivia unless they found out by accident, then the rest of her family wouldn't find out until she was ready to leave for school next year. She didn't want to deal with the tension it could cause, or someone thinking that every time she went to hang out with a female friend that it was a date.

Olivia could definitely relate. After telling Amy, every time she talked about another girl with her friend, she would always be asked if she had a crush. She didn't mind that Amy was curious about her personal life, she just wished she didn't think she was attracted to every woman she met. She could only wonder what it would be like when she told Maxine, or worse when she told the Cabots.

Knowing those thoughts would not make her the best of company for the night, Olivia pushed them aside, and continued listening to the band. Aside from having to shout just to talk, Olivia was having a good time with Andy. Throughout the night they would casually brush each other's hands, or Andy would place her hand on Olivia's shoulder to get her attention. One of the definite perks of going to a concert with a date was how close you had to get if you didn't want to shout when you spoke. The feel of Andy's breath on Olivia's ear caused shivers down her spine.

It was during one of the slower songs that Olivia had one of the best and worst moments in her life. The two girls were standing shoulder to shoulder. Andy had taken the initiative two songs ago, and taken Olivia's hand in hers. Surprisingly, Olivia had been ok with that. It didn't feel exactly normal to be holding Andy's hand, but it wasn't a bad feeling. Halfway through the song, Olivia felt Andy squeeze her hand. Curious, Olivia turned to see Andy already facing her. Time seemed to slow down just a bit then. She could see Andy leaning in, feel herself doing the same. Her eyes closed just as they're lips connected. It was then, unknown to Olivia that Alex turned back to them.

Had Olivia been looking, she would have seen the look of shock, not disgust, cross Alex's face. If Olivia had been looking, she would have seen the flash of something cross Alex's eyes. Something neither would have expected, nor would they be able to explain or admit.

The song came to an end, as did they're kiss. If you asked her later, she wouldn't be able to tell you why she turned her attention towards the stage, but when she did, she saw the look on the blonde girls face. She saw her move out of her row, and run up the aisle. Torn between going after her, or staying with her date, Olivia looked back to Andy. Surprised, she saw a look of understanding. Andy nodded, letting her know it was alright to go after her foster sister. Olivia squeezed Andy's hand, and took off after Alex.


	8. Chapter 8

Olivia crashed through the door leading outside. She stopped long enough to determine the direction her fair haired target had gone. She listened and looked around. She heard a noise in one direction and snapped her head towards it. Seeing nothing but a shoe disappear around a corner, Olivia took off in that direction. She'd seen those shoes enough to recognize them.

Rounding the corner, Olivia saw Alex was leading them down an alley. She could see the blonde just ahead of her, but she also saw what Alex hadn't noticed yet. At the end of the alley there was a chain link fence, blocking any further progress. She saw Alex reach it and lean her head against it, knowing she could go no further.

Catching up with the other girl, Olivia stopped, but remained a few feet away, knowing Alex would want, need space between them right now. The buildings forming the alley shielded its occupants from the sound of the night. All that could be heard was the heavy breathing of two people. Olivia waited, knowing it's all she could do, and prayed Alex was done freaking out.

****

Alex couldn't understand why what she had seen had affected her like that, but something inside told her she had to get out of there. She tried to control her thoughts as she ran, but have of them she didn't understand. Was Olivia a lesbian? Or had that girl misread what tonight was? If it was the former, did Olivia have a crush on her? Why couldn't she name the emotion she felt right now? What would Olivia's lips feel like on hers?

It was after this last thought that Alex realized she was fast approaching the fence. Coming to a stop, she rest her forehead against the cool metal, and threaded her fingers through the links. She knew Olivia had followed her and was waiting for her to turn around, but part of her knew she wasn't there to make her feel uncomfortable. If she had noticed anything about Olivia the last few years, she never wanted to be a bother to anyone. No, Olivia was there to make sure she was alright after what she had seen, but was she?

_Why did I want to know what it would feel like if Olivia kissed me?_ Alex thought to herself. _Does this mean I'm a lesbian too? No, I can't be. I've been trying to get the quarterbacks attention for months._ Alex thought about the deep, brown eyes, and the short brown hair that always looked like he had just gotten out of bed. _No, I'm straight. I was only curious because…hell who wouldn't be curious after seeing something like that._

Still warring with herself, Alex had almost forgotten she wasn't alone in the alley, only remembering when a quiet voice brought her out of her thoughts.

****

Olivia waited as patiently as she could. The seconds felt like hours and she couldn't stand not knowing what was going through the blondes head. Olivia wasn't stupid. She knew that no matter how much the Cabots liked her, one word from Alex would send her packing, which is something Olivia didn't want. She may not outwardly show it, but she liked it at the Cabots. It almost felt like home to her. She'd been there for four years, almost longer than all the other families combined. Plus she would be eighteen in six months, and going off to school in nine. What would be the point in sending her to another foster family now?

How could she have been so careless as to let that happen, let alone Alex see it? The kiss had been nice, one of the best she'd had in fact, but was the limbo she was in really worth it?

Finally Olivia couldn't take the silence anymore. "Alex," she said quietly, immediately regretting it seeing the other girl jump.

She watched as Alex slowly turned to face her. Neither girl made a move to close the distance between them. Alex waited to see if Olivia was going to explain her actions, while Olivia waited for Alex to start asking questions.

"Are you ok?" Olivia asked, wanting to get this over with.

Alex, slightly surprised by the question, didn't know how to answer at first. Physically she was fine, if not a little sore from the run. Emotionally, she wasn't sure how she felt just yet. Everything was still too jumbled. Instead of answering the question, as easy as it was, she asked one of her own. "What was that in there, Olivia?"

Olivia took a deep breath, preparing herself for the conversation they were about to have. "That was me kissing my date," she explained.

"Your date," Alex repeated. She had been expecting it, she just wanted to repeat it to help it sink in.

"Yes, Alex, my date," Olivia responded calmly. She waited a few moments to allow Alex to digest this information. She was wondering why Alex was taking so long to ask the one question Olivia knew was on her mind. However she had a feeling she wouldn't have to wait much longer.

"Are you a lesbian, Olivia?" Alex asked quietly. She already knew the answer, but she needed to hear Olivia say it. Olivia saying it would mean that this all wasn't some bad dream.

"I don't like labels, Alex," Olivia explained. "If what you're asking is if I am attracted to, and date women exclusively, then my answer is yes."

"Do my parents know?"

"Not yet, but I'm telling them this week."

"Ok," Alex said.

"Ok?" Olivia responded, although it sounded like a question. Now she was the confused one.

"We may not get along Olivia, and I may not fully understand the aspects of your personal life, but I'm not going to judge you for who you want to spend your time with. You have a right to be happy just as much as the next person," Alex explained.

Olivia was surprised with how calm Alex was taking this, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Thank you, Alex," Olivia said.

In response Alex just nodded. "Come on, we should get back inside before your date starts to wonder where you are."

Alex started towards the beginning of the alley, Olivia joining her. Neither spoke, and there was enough room between them to drive a car, but somehow, Olivia felt like things had just started to thaw between them. But she wondered how long this temporary cease fire would last. Alex surprised her seconds later with an answer.

The blonde spun on her heels, and shot Olivia a glare. "This still doesn't mean we're friends or anything, Benson. So don't go getting any ideas." With that, Alex turned back around and continued out of the alley.

Olivia just smirked to herself, and shook her head. Not long apparently.


	9. Chapter 9

Although the plan had been to tell Nathan and Sophie by the end of that week, Olivia had unintentionally avoided it. They came home on Monday night, curious as to how they're weekend had gone. Alex looked at Olivia, expecting her to tell them then, but was disappointed when Olivia just said it was fine, and excused herself to her room. For weeks afterward, Olivia avoided being alone with the adults, meaning she spent a large amount of time in her room.

Two months after the concert Olivia was sitting in the living room with a group of friends studying for a test receiving glares from Alex, who had become increasingly annoyed with the brunette for her silence. She didn't think it was right that she wasn't allowed to have boys over after a certain time, or in her room at all because they could be up to no good. Sure the same rules applied to Olivia, but she didn't want boys over after a certain time, or up in her room getting up to no good. The Cabots didn't have any rules against girls staying over.

Olivia and Andy had continued to see each other after the concert. They'd gotten together every week, and Andy had even spent the night at the Cabot's house once, although they didn't do anything beyond a heavy make out session. Olivia didn't feel quite ready for that yet. She felt bad for not telling Sophie and Nathan yet. She didn't realize how difficult it was going to be. She always thought she didn't care what they thought of her, until it came to trying to talk to them about this. What if they hated her? What if they sent her away? Where would the system put her when she was just six months from turning 18? With all of this running through her mind, she barely paid any attention to her friends as they were studying.

Sophie had been flittering in and out of the room, bringing drinks, refilling snacks, and just keeping an eye on things. She kept noticing that a few seemed to be paying more attention to Olivia, than to the material in front of them, but the brunette was totally oblivious to they're attention. She made a note of it, and decided to talk to the young girl about it later.

It wasn't long before the group dispersed, having curfews to meet, and class the next day. After Olivia had packed all of her belongings in her backpack and placed it by the door, she made her way towards the kitchen to grab a can of pop before heading back to her room. She made it as far as retrieving the beverage before she heard her name spoken from the direction of the table. She looked up to see Caroline sitting there, looking at her patiently, and Nathan reading the newspaper, oblivious to what was going on around him at the moment. Olivia raised her eyebrow in acknowledgement, waiting for what the older woman had to say.

"Dear, could you come and have a seat please, I'd like to talk to you about something," Sophie said.

Olivia, having never had a heart to heart talk with a parental unit before, wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but she knew this probably wasn't a good thing. She slowly walked to the table and sat down. "What's up, Sophie?"

Now it was Sophie's turn to become uncomfortable. She had never had to discuss this topic with Alex, or anyone, before. Her own mother didn't talk to her about boys, both silently agreeing it was information best learned from friends. Sophie didn't know what the cause of Olivia's obliviousness to boys' attraction to her was, whether it be insecurities towards men thanks to the knowledge of her conception, or she just wasn't sure what to do, but she was determined to help her with this, if she could.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," she started.

"Ookay…" Olivia prompted.

Sophie shifted nervously in her chair, trying to think of how to start this conversation, no matter how uncomfortable it would be. "I wanted to talk to you about something," she repeated.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it," Olivia said, trying to ease whatever stress Sophie was feeling. If the older woman was uncomfortable with the topic, then it probably wasn't something she was looking forward to either.

Sophie smiled at the teen, knowing Olivia was only trying to lighten the mood. It didn't make the pending discussion any easier, but it did make her feel slightly more at ease. "You didn't do anything wrong, dear, but there is something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Um…ok," Olivia responded nervously. She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that. It was her turn to tense up when she saw Alex had entered the kitchen.

"Well, I was just wondering why you never seem to notice the boys around you."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked. Not only was she confused, but she was definitely not ready to discuss her dating life with the Cabot matriarch. Maybe she'd be able to talk her way out of this.

"Well I noticed tonight that a few of the boys in your study group were staring at you and seemed totally oblivious to it," Sophie explained.

Olivia thought about that. Sure she had seen a couple guys take an interest in her, but she didn't really care because she wasn't interested at all. She couldn't very well tell Sophie the reasons why though. "Oh, well, I just thought it would be a better idea I concentrated on school," Olivia explained. "I mean I'm graduating this year and I don't want my grades slipping because of some guy."

It wasn't a complete lie. It was true that she didn't want her grades to fall. She was on her way to becoming the salutatorian for her class, something she knew the Cabots, Maxine, and Liz were all very proud of. But if anything, it wouldn't be a boy distracting her from her studies. Olivia fought back a smirk when she saw Alex roll her eyes out of the corner of her eye. Thinking how Alex had the power to out her at any time though made Olivia forget about the lie and shift uncomfortably in her chair. Sophie mistook the reason for her discomfort and continued on.

"Olivia," she started, not knowing her daughter was in the room, "this doesn't have anything to do with…"

Somehow knowing where Sophie was going, Olivia quickly broke in, not wanting Alex to hear the end of that statement. "No it has nothing to do with that," she said as she shook her head vigorously. Alex was the last person she wanted hearing about her conception. Olivia wanted the blonde to like her because she wanted to, not because she felt sorry for her.

"Then why aren't you dating, honey?" Sophie gently asked. "School is a very good reason to avoid getting seriously involved, but your still young, Olivia, and very beautiful."

Olivia blushed at the comment, but was saved from having to reply by the only male voice in the room.

"Sophie, I don't believe Olivia's personal life is really any of our business," he said. Not only could he tell Olivia was growing more uncomfortable with the topic, he was as well. He had never liked discussing the dating habits of his daughters, and while Olivia wasn't related to him by blood, he still thought of her as his daughter.

"But Nathan, aren't you in anyway concerned? I'm surprised you aren't beating the boys away with a stick," Sophie replied.

"Actually, I'm not concerned in the least," Nathan said. I have no reason to lose sleep at night."

The two adults continued to argue back and forth about the subject. Olivia was grateful that the spotlight had been taken off of her for the moment. However she seemed to miss the agree attitude Alex had taken on.

"Oh for crying out loud," Alex shouted, immediately bringing her parents argument to a halt. "Olivia doesn't date the boys that are attracted to her because she's a lesbian. She and her _friend_ Andy have been dating for almost two months."

A stunned silence enveloped the kitchen, no one knowing quite how to respond. Olivia looked at Alex with a mix of hurt and disbelief. She watched as Nathan and Sophie slowly turned to face her, as if asking for confirmation. Fear was added to the emotions in her eyes. Panic finally setting in, Olivia shot up from the table, grabbed her keys from the hook by the door, and was gone before anyone else had the chance to react.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Special thanks to Melizzy511 for pointing out my little mistake. Its fixed and makes a lot more sense. Thanks again.

* * *

Alex sat on the window sill, watching as the sun came up. She and her parents had been awake all night, worrying about Olivia, even though the young blonde wouldn't admit that for a long time. She couldn't believe what she had done. How could she just blurt it out like that? Yes, she was annoyed that Olivia was allowed to have Andy over while she couldn't have her boyfriend over, but she also knew Olivia was more respectful then to be secretly having sex in her parents' house. Maybe it was just to get her parents to stop arguing, but surely there could have been another way to accomplish that.

Part of Alex couldn't see what the big deal was. Nathan and Sophie wouldn't judge a person based on who they loved. In fact, there was a junior associate that her father talked about with a very charming boyfriend. The only reason her father disliked his employee was because he had a wife and kids he was sneaking around behind. However, the other part of her knew that it was probably something difficult to admit to the people you care about, afraid they'll turn their backs on you.

Alex closed her eyes and though back the conversation she had had with her parents just after Olivia had stormed out.

_The three Cabots remained in stunned silence after the brunette ran out, Alex still not believing what happened. She watched as her parents slowly turned to face her. Her mother had an unsure expression on her face._

"_Alex," she started nervously, "is that true?"_

_Not yet being able to find her voice, all the blonde could do was nod her head._

"_How do you know that dear?" her father asked. Part of him was unsure he wanted to know the answer, but he would accept it, no matter what it was._

"_I," Alex started shakily, taking a moment to clear her throat, "I saw her and Andy kissing at the concert we went to a few months ago."_

"_So you and she have never…" her mother trailed off._

"_NO!" Alex declared quickly. "Olivia has never made any inappropriate moves or comments towards me." She ignored the feeling of disappointment at how true that statement was. She also ignored the small smirk on her mother's face, as if Sophie knew something Alex did not._

"_You know it wouldn't be a problem if the two of you had right?" Nathan said. Realizing what he said, he quickly tried to correct himself. "I mean of course it would be a problem if you had done _that_. You're only fifteen, that's too young to be doing _that_. I just meant that if you were attracted to each other, and wanted to do _that_ one day, you wouldn't need to be afraid to tell us." He stopped talking at the feeling of his wife's hand upon his._

"_Dear, it would probably be best if you stopped talking," Sophie said in an amused tone. The humor in the situation, however, did not last long as they all once again began to worry._

_Midnight came and went, with still no sign of the brunette. The hopeful sides of the three restless individuals in the living room, talked themselves into believing the brunette was at Amy's, working up the courage to return the following morning. However, Sophie had decided to call Maxine as soon as it reached a more appropriate hour._

_Alex watched helplessly as her parents paced the room, or tried unsuccessfully to keep themselves occupied. It was all Alex could do to sit there and not try to do anything._

The young blonde was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of her mother's voice.

"Are you sure you haven't seen her Maxine?" Sophie paused as she waited for the woman on the other end to respond. "Well, I was having what I thought was a harmless conversation with her, and information was revealed that Olivia wasn't ready to share…I'm sorry Maxine, but that's her place to tell you, not mine…she's been gone all night though…all she took were her car keys…will you call me as soon as you hear anything, please?" Alex's heart broke at the worry she heard in her mother's voice as the call came to an end. She wished she had kept her mouth shut, if only to have everyone's minds still at ease.

****

Across town, Maxine had already replaced the receiver in the cradle. She thought for a moment. Out of all the times Olivia had needed to be alone, to go somewhere to gather her thoughts, to not feel so caged in, where had she gone? It only took a short while for her to remember the spot. Picking up the phone once more, Maxine dialed the all too familiar number, knowing she was going to need help.

She quickly explained the situation to the person on the other end. "Can you meet me here in an hour? I know where Liv is."

****

Olivia continued to sit on her rock hugging on knee, as the other leg dangled freely, a position she'd been sitting in for the past eight hours. As the sun rose above the water, she could hear it below crashing against the cliff she was currently atop. This was her favorite spot to come to when she needed to get away, to think.

She had remembered her mother taking her here camping when she was very little, it was one of the only good memories she had of the woman she barely knew. They'd gotten there early enough to see the sunrise, like she was doing now, and spent the day looking for interesting souvenirs. Olivia had found a rock in the shape of a heart. It was small, but she thought it was the best thing in the world. After treasure hunting, they ate, and her mom surprised her by taking a kite out of the car. The wind coming up from the cliff side was more than enough to propel the kite into the air. When they had spent a satisfactory amount of time playing with the new item, Serena tied the kite to a heavy rock, and they watched as it continued to stay airborne. After pitching the tent and getting a fire started, her mom surprised her yet again when she took out all the necessary items for s'mores. Serena told Olivia stories about when she was growing up, and even tried to tell a couple of scary stories, but Olivia just laughed at how silly the characters were. Because it was a clear night, instead of sleeping in the tent, Olivia had talked her mom into setting up the sleeping bags under the stars so they could watch them as she went to sleep. She remembered the look on her mother's when she got so excited about seeing her first shooting star. She couldn't remember what it was she had wished for that night, but it was still one of the best nights of her young life. They'd once again watched the sunrise, then packed up camp and went home. Not forgetting Olivia's new treasure, Serena helped her fix it to a chain, hooked so the heart was upright. Olivia had worn it every day until she had learned of her mother's death. She still had it in a jewelry box hidden in her room. She'd take it out whenever she needed a reminder of that night.

Now sitting her, many years later, Olivia began to wonder, if things would be ok after this. Would the Cabots allow her back into her home? Would she be put into a group home until she turned 18? She would really prefer the first option, but she didn't want to get her hopes up, in case it all went downhill when she finally returned. Olivia hadn't even decided when that was going to be yet, she just knew she needed time to process all that had happened.

The young woman upon the rock was startled out of her thoughts when she heard someone approaching. Not wanting to alert them to the fact she knew they were there, she stayed silent and still, just listening. It sounded like there were two people, walking at a slower pace, and talking in hushed voices as they continued they're accent. As they neared, Olivia could easily recognize both voices. She waited to address them until they had reached, her, each person taking up residence on either side. The one on the right reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, not saying anything.

"Max, am I a bad person?" Olivia asked.

"What in heaven's name would make you think that Olivia?" Maxine asked. She sat down beside the teen and wrapped her arm around her, allowing her to place her head on her shoulder. She looked up to see Liz Donnelly at a loss for what to do. She smiled in reassurance, and Liz hesitantly placed her hand on the young girls shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, encouraging her to explain.

"It just feels like I'm being punished," Olivia explained. "First, I was conceived through rape. I have an abusive, alcoholic mother who basically gives up custody of me and then goes and gets herself killed because she was too drunk to walk down a set of stairs. Then, I am shuffled from foster family to foster family, most of which were abusive. Now, I am falling in love with someone who not only should I not love but would never love be back."

"First of all Olivia, love is never a bad thing. Second, if they can't see what a wonderful person you are, it's there loss." Liz answered softly

"Even if it's another girl?" they heard her ask quietly, not looking at either of them. Realization dawned on Maxine's face as she learned why it was Olivia's place to share this information and not Sophie's.

"Like I said, love is never a bad thing," Liz repeated.

They watched in heartbreaking silence as the girl they both knew to be so strong, broke down in tears. They let her cry out her frustrations, knowing it would be best in the long run. When she finally calmed down, they waited for her to speak, neither really knowing what to say yet. Thankfully they didn't have to wait long.

"Do you think the Cabot's are going to ask me to leave?" she asked both of them, not knowing is she wanted to hear they're opinions.

"I've known Sophie and her brother Bill for a long time Olivia, and they would not turn their backs on someone just because of something like this," Liz explained softly.

"I agree with Liz," Maxine said. "Sophie is the one that called me. She's worried sick about you. I really do think we should be getting you home."

"I'm scared," Olivia all but whispered. Both of the older women could feel their hearts break for the young girl, knowing there wasn't a whole lot they could do to help her right now.

"I have an idea," Maxine said carefully. "Why don't we take you back to my house? You can spend the day with Amy and you can call Andy and George to join you. Give yourself a chance to feel normal again before you go and talk with the Cabot's."

Olivia thought about the suggestion and decided she liked it better than returning to see the Cabot's right away. She knew Maxine was going to make her call them when they got to the house, just so they knew she was safe, which is why Maxine didn't include that in the plans, but she felt like she could handle that phone call at least.

The trio got up from the rock and started to walk back to the cars. Olivia dug her keys out of her pocket and handed then over to the attorney, knowing she was too upset to try and concentrate on the road at the moment. Besides, riding in the passenger seat would allow her to prepare what she would say when she made her phone call later that day.


	11. Chapter 11

See chapter 1 for disclaimers

**A/N: Please forgive the lack of updates. My notebook was stolen and it had all of my notes, and i lost like all my inspiration to write. But it was returned, and now you have your update.**

* * *

Maxine and Olivia arrived at the house first, Liz close behind. Giving Olivia her keys, she hugged the young girl, said good bye and got into her own car to make her way to work. She wished she could stay and help her young friend through her difficult time and she would be able to if they lived in a perfect world and the perverts she dealt with everyday turned themselves in, but this was not a perfect world, and she had criminals to prosecute.

Maxine led Olivia inside and up to the guest room instead of allowing her to sleep in Amy's room like she usually did. It had nothing to do with the information she had just learned, but Amy would be up for school soon. If Amy knew Olivia was there that early, she'd know something was wrong and would argue until she was allowed to stay home. And Olivia needed to rest, another reason Maxine had decided to call the Cabot's for her, knowing she still wasn't ready to talk, but not wanting the Cabot's to worry any more than they already had.

Maxine saw her daughter off to school, checked on her second daughter who was sound asleep. She then went about making a few phone calls.

****

Olivia woke up, rolled over and looked at the clock on the night stand. Seeing it was now about noon, she estimated she'd slept for close to five hours. She sighed. Sleep would be impossible to recapture now. She rolled back to lying on her back, and placed her hands behind her head, losing herself to her thoughts.

She had been so nervous when Sophie asked to talk to her. Part of her was scared that she had learned her secret and she wanted to confront her about it. Olivia couldn't help but laugh at that. Technically she hadn't been wrong. She just wished her secret had stayed a secret. She thought she was home free when Nathan started arguing in her defense.

Her rational side truly believed that if Sophie and Nathan hadn't started to argue, Alex never would have said anything. She could remember the look of shock on the young blondes face, as if she was just as surprised at what happened as everyone else.

Never in her life had Olivia felt time move so slow. The time it took for the adults to look from one teen to the other. When Olivia had locked eyes with them, realization hit her and she bolted, knowing she was not ready for this conversation. The entire drive to the cliffs, Olivia couldn't stop thinking about what she was going to do if the Cabot's kicked her out. Not the best of thoughts to have at a time like this, but she needed something to block out how hurt she'd felt and the overwhelming sense of betrayal that coursed through her. It was true that Alex didn't owe her anything and if was honest, Olivia was surprised she had waited this long, even if she said it without meaning to. She couldn't hold it against Alex. Olivia had been getting away with a lot without the Cabot's knowing what was going on, but she wanted to be the one to tell them. With then finding out from someone else, it made it seem as though she was ashamed of herself. She was nervous of their reaction yes, but she was in no way ashamed of who she was.

Olivia sighed and looked at the clock one more time. She groaned. It was time to get up and make a call she should have made when she first arrived at the house that morning. She sat up, swung her legs over the edge of the bed and heard a knock on the door.

"Come in, Max," Olivia called, knowing the older woman was the only other person in the house at the moment.

The door slowly opened and Maxine poked her head around it, making sure Olivia was in fact awake. After confirming she was, she opened the door wider, revealing a small tray with a plate of sandwiches and a glass of juice. Olivia smiled. She hadn't realized how hungry she was when she first woke up, but seeing the tray off food, she could feel her stomach growl.

"I thought you might be hungry," Maxine declared. "Something tells me you haven't eaten since last night."

Olivia nodded. The last thing she had to eat was the snacks Sophie sat out for her study group. Thinking of the other woman reminded Olivia that she still had to call her foster mother. "I should probably call Sophie now that I'm awake," she stated as she took a sandwich.

"I've already taken care of that," Maxine responded. Olivia looked at her in shock. Usually Maxine made her take responsibility for herself. "I decided that sleep was what you needed this morning, and Sophie didn't need to wait any longer to learn that you were ok. She called your school this morning to let them know you wouldn't be attending and I asked if it would be ok for you to stay here tonight. She had no problem with that, and asked that I tell you that they aren't upset with you, but you do need to talk. She also wanted you to know that you aren't going to have to be moved, that you'll be staying there if you would still like to."

Olivia didn't know what to say. Here she had been so nervous about what to expect when she came out to the adults in her life, she never thought they would all be ok with it. She knew she would probably be grounded for breaking some of the house rules by having Andy up in her room, but if that was the worst she got out of this whole thing, she could definitely handle that.

"Thank you, Max," Olivia said quietly.

"You have no need to thank me, Olivia," Maxine gently explained. "We all love you, and are here to support you. Maybe next time you won't be so afraid to share something like this. Although, after this, I can't imagine what else you would be scared of telling us." The last statement caused them both to laugh. Olivia figured she'd wait until later to announce she was thinking about the police academy after college.

Maxine set the tray on the night stand and stood to leave. As she reached the door, she turned back to the young brunette. "By the way," she started, "you might want to think about getting dressed. I'm guessing you'll be having some company within the hour."

Olivia watched in confusion as the door closed, but finally just shrugged her shoulders and ate her lunch. After she was done, she got out of bed and went to the dresser to grab some of the spare clothes she left at Amy's.

After getting dressed, she made her way downstairs, through the kitchen and out into the backyard. One of Olivia's favorite things to do when she came over was to lay out in the yard, watching the day go by. It sounded boring, but it was nice just to _be_ for a little bit instead of always on the move. After takin her usual position in the grass, lying on her back with her hands behind her head and her eyes closed, she thought back to her conversation with Max. Olivia still wasn't sure what Maxine had meant about her having company and frankly right now, she didn't care. She had to think of how she would explain all this to her friends and girlfriend without making Alex look like the bad guy. Really she wasn't though. There was no malicious intent on Alex's part. It had been said in the heat of the moment to stop an ensuing argument. That's what Olivia believed and she had already forgiven her for it, but it wasn't something she'd be forgetting. She was told though that you never forget how you come out. She was just glad it hadn't happened while she was in some bar completely drunk. That is something she would never live down.

Deciding she was done thinking about this for now, Olivia tried to clear her mind and relax as she stretched out in the sun. She had started to doze off and missed the sound of the approaching figure until they called out. "Anyone ever tell you that you look like a cat when you lay in the sun like that?"

Olivia smiled when she heard that voice, finally understanding what Maxine had meant earlier. She turned her head to face the direction it came from.

"Well, you did call me kitten the first night we met, or were you talking to Amy?" Olivia smirked.

George laughed quietly. "I don't think it really matters," he said as he sat down next to his younger friend. "You're more of a Tiger now anyway."

This caused the brunette to laugh. "Tiger?" she raised an eyebrow skeptically. "How do you figure?"

"When you first stepped into that club, you could tell that you were new to the scene because of how nervous you were, but you were still confident. You have this swagger that could be defined as a prowl. You have women, and men, of all ages staring at you with desire every time you go anywhere. You may not notice it, which for the record only makes them want you more, but Andy does. You should see how proud she is when you take her hand and she gives everyone a 'that's right, she's with me' look. It's actually quite humorous," George laughed after his explanation.

Olivia stared at him dumfounded. She'd listened to everything he'd said, but seemed stuck on one thing. "I do not have a swagger," she protested.

"Oh yes you do," George laughed. "It's sexy as hell. And that's coming from a man who has no sexual interest in the female gender at all."

"I'm sexy?" Olivia asked. She was taken completely by surprise.

"Uh…yeah," George replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You drive the baby dykes and cougars wild."

Olivia laughed at his statement. "Thanks, but I'm happy with Andy."

Taking another moment to drag on the levity, George knew that Maxine had not called him just to spend the day lazing around with Olivia. She called him for a reason, he just didn't know what it was. When the laughter calmed, he got around to trying to figure it out.

"So you want to tell me why I was called over here?" he asked his friend quietly.

Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her friends were perceptive. They would know that they weren't called for any reason, but she wanted to recount the story as little as possible. She'd wait until Amy got home, and Andy showed up, knowing that was probably the only other person Maxine would call in this situation. What happened to Olivia affected her as well, if only a little.

They sat in companionable silence, waiting for their other friends. Olivia tried to think of how to explain what had happened without making everyone hate Alex. She finally decided that she'd just tell them the truth and deal with the reaction.

Andy was next to join the group. She greeted the two already lying in the grass, but said nothing more. She lay down next to Olivia and took her hand, twining they're fingers together.

****

Amy walked into her house looking more than a little confused. "Mom?" she called out.

"In here," Maxine called out from the kitchen.

"Why is Liv's car here?" she asked, not waiting until she got to the kitchen. Her curiosity interfered with her common sense telling her it that having a conversation with a person on the other side of the house wasn't a good idea.

Maxine agreed with common sense. She came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Amy why on earth are you yelling across the house?" she asked in a disapproving tone.

"You did," Amy countered.

"Yes, but you asked where I was. I was busy in the kitchen and I saw no point in stopping what I was doing to come out here and tell you where I was just to go back and start it again," Maxine explained.

"Yeah, but you ended up having to do that anyway. Wouldn't it have been easier just to do that in the first place?"Amy replied, almost succeeding in hiding her smirk.

"You're going to law school," Maxine replied, making no room for argument. She turned and walked back into the kitchen to continue making up the tray of sandwiches she'd been working on before her daughter came home.

Amy shrugged and followed her mom. She wanted to go into law anyway, so her mom telling her she was made it easier then telling her. "Now that that's out of the way, why is Olivia's car here? She doesn't usually come over until closer to dinner when she comes over on Friday nights. For that matter, when did Andy and George get here?"

Maxine paused for a moment. She tried to think of the best way to tell Amy what had happened last night without telling her everything. That was a story for Olivia to tell. "Olivia came over early this morning, you were still asleep. Something happened at home last night and she's been gone ever since. George and Andy are here because I thought she could use some friends right now. I'm telling you anymore. Take this tray of sandwiches out to your friends, and Olivia will tell you the rest," Maxine explained. She then turned and walked out of the room, giving Amy no chance to question her.

Amy stood in the kitchen for a few moments to think about what could have possibly happened to send Olivia out of the house. By the time she finally picked up the tray of sandwiches and walked outside with it her mind had come up with everything from the unthinkable, Nathan had tried something on Liv; to the unimaginable, Olivia had tried something on Alex; to the nearly impossible, Alex had tried something on Liv. Amy had her mind so worked up, she almost ran to where her friends were.

Olivia, Andy, and George had moved to the patio furniture in the shade, having had enough of the sun for now, when Amy came walking, almost running, up to them. Olivia and Andy were sitting together on the love seat, while George was occupying one of the chairs with his feet propped up on one of the tables. Amy set the tray down next to his feet and sat in the other unoccupied chair and just looked at everyone, patiently waiting for someone to tell her what was going on.

George and Andy, while also curious about why they were called, had been sitting with Olivia long enough to know that this was not something they could force out of her. But they weren't given any information from Maxine to fuel they're imaginations. And they didn't have an overactive imagination like Amy.

Looking around at her collective group of friends, Amy wondered how long it was going to take for someone to fill her in. When it didn't look like any one was going to volunteer any information, Amy looked annoyed. "Well?" she asked, her impatient annoyance showing in her voice.

Olivia smirked. She knew it wouldn't take long for Amy to try and get the story out of her. Right now she was very thankful Maxine had called her friends to come over that afternoon. The time spent with them, and not consciously thinking about what happened the night before had given her a chance to prepare for what she was going to tell her friends.

"The Cabots know," she stated without preamble. Thankfully, no one needed it to be explained to them what she was talking about. She noticed the shocked looks on their faces and knew what question was coming next.

"What happened?" Amy asked quietly. So Olivia told them, everything from Sophie questioning her about her interest in boys, right to Alex letting the proverbial cat out of the bag. When she finished, she looked around to see their shocked expressions.

"I'll kill her," Amy said, in true best friend fashion. "I knew you guys didn't like each other, Liv, but I never thought she'd stoop to this level to hurt you."

"It's not her fault, Amy," Olivia explained. "I don't think she did it with the intention of getting me into trouble or hurting me. Her parents were fighting, and she wanted it to stop. She said the first thing that came to mind that would end the discussion. I didn't stick around for the new one that outburst would have brought up." Olivia said.

Amy gave her an incredulous look. She knew why Olivia was defending the young blonde, and to some extent so did George. Andy however, just believed she was being the bigger person and putting it behind her, it made her fall just a little bit more for the brooding brunette.

"What are you going to do?" George asked, trying to ease the tension between the fiery red head and her best friend.

In response, Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "I'm going back to the Cabots' for dinner and we'll talk then. I'm guessing there's going to be some kind of punishment, but I don't know how bad it will be. Sophie did say that I'm still welcome to stay if I want to, but we'll wait and see how tonight goes."

They all nodded, knowing there was nothing more they could do now but wait. They'd find out how the talk went soon enough.

****

The quartet stayed on the patio for a few more hours. It wasn't until Maxine informed Amy she was starting dinner that Olivia knew she could no longer delay going home. Amy walked with her friends out to their cars. She gave all of them a hug, and told Olivia to call her as soon as she knew what was going on. Olivia promised, kissed Andy good-bye, and got into her car, making the trip home lost in her own thoughts.

The normally short trip seemed to take even less time. All too soon Olivia was parking her car in the Cabot driveway. She sat behind the wheel for a moment collecting her thoughts and courage before she took a deep breath, exited her car, and made her way to the front door. A small part of her was tempted to knock. She didn't however as this was still technically her home. She figured an action like that could make whatever punishment she received worse.

When she opened the door, Olivia expected to see the three Cabots waiting for her in the front room, almost like an ambush. She was surprised to see empty couches and chairs. She heard noise coming from the kitchen and could smell dinner cooking. Nervously she made her way in that direction. Upon entering the kitchen, everything seemed normal with the exception of the underlying tension in the room. To anyone else, Nathan, Sophie and Alex would have looked like any other family getting ready for dinner, but Olivia could see the tension in their bodies. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there.

Sophie looked up from the plate she was preparing to meet the eyes of the latest arrival. She gave a nervous, but relieve smile. "Olivia," she said happily. "You're just in time. Have a seat." She knew she was only putting of the inevitable discussion, but the brunette had just gotten home, she didn't want to do anything that would make her run off again. The night before had been hard enough when they didn't know where she was.

Seeing that the discussion was being set aside for the moment, Olivia was more than happy to go along with it. She sat down at the table and accepted the plate Sophie handed to her. All throughout dinner, both adults behaved as if nothing was different. In a way, Olivia was grateful. Maybe things really would be ok. Alex, however, was unusually quiet and she refused to make eye contact with the brunette. Olivia tried not to hope, but part of her started to feel like maybe Alex did care and she felt bad for what had happened last night. She wouldn't address it at the table, but if Alex seemed approachable, she'd let her off the hook about it later.

Even with the ease that Nathan and Sophie were trying to create, Olivia still felt too nervous to eat much. She took three or four bites and spent the rest of the meal pushing the food around her plate. When she felt as though she'd put in a significant amount of time at the table she decided she couldn't take the temporary avoidance anymore. "May I be excused?" she asked. She was surprised that she was able to keep the plea from her voice.

"Of course dear," Sophie said. "Why don't you wait for us in the living room?" She worded it as a suggestion, but Olivia knew that it was a suggestion that would be in her best interest to follow.

Nodding, she gave her silent consent. She stood up from the table, cleared her place, and placed them next to the sink. She quickly exited the kitchen and made her way to the living room. At first she sat in the arm chair across from the couch, but then stood up as it would have made the whole thing feel like an interrogation. There was no need to make it feel more uncomfortable than it was already going to be. Next she thought of sitting on the couch, but that could make her look too relaxed, like she didn't care how this all turned out. Instead, she took to looking around the living room, taking it in as if she'd never seen it before.

A couch and two arm chairs positioned around a small coffee table made up the center of the room. There were to end tables on either side of the couch and both had small lamps on them. Pictures covered the walls and the mantle. Most of them were of Alex with either of her parents or all three of them. Several of them contained Olivia as well. She walked over to the mantle and picked up her favorite picture, not so much the picture itself, but the memory it brought up.

Every year before the beginning of school, Nathan and Sophie let the girls have a party as a way to celebrate the summer. Somehow, Alex's ex-boyfriend had managed to crash. He had tried to confront Alex to find out why they had broken up. That was probably the biggest mistake of his high school career. Alex had not only told him why, but also announced it to the whole of the party. Apparently he had cheated on her, or at least had planned on it. She'd heard what he had in mind, but broke up with him before he had the chance. She later found out that the girl he wanted was actually in college and had laughed in his face at his adolescent attempts to seduce her, another fact she didn't keep from the party. He left the house with his head bowed in embarrassment. On a whim, Olivia had decided to take a picture of her. As she was about to snap the picture, Alex had turned to face her, and the look of passion in the intense blue eyes brought on from the fight with her ex had nearly taken Olivia's breath away.

"That's my favorite picture out here," Alex said from behind Olivia. She smirked when she saw she had startled the usually alert girl out of her thoughts. It was rare that she could sneak up on the young brunette. She walked up next to the girl and took the picture from her hands. She looked at it for a moment, and then set it back in its place on the mantle. "I don't even know why they want to show it off though."

Olivia was about to tell her why it should be displayed, but then thought better of it when the first comment that came to mind would probably be a very bad idea. Instead she just waited for Alex to let her know what was going on. Why was she out here now when her parents were still in the kitchen?

"Olivia I wanted to apologize for this mess I've gotten you into," she started. "I didn't intend for it to come out, it just…did."

Olivia was about to tell her that she had nothing to worry about, that she wasn't upset with her, but the door to the living room opened again, allowing the two adults to enter the rom. She'd just have to tell her later.

They moved to sit in the two arm chairs, leaving the couch open to the teenagers. They each took up residence on either side, sitting as far away from each other as possible. Olivia nervously looked back and forth between Nathan and Sophie, wondering who was going to go first. She could tell that they were still trying to work out exactly what they wanted to say, so she decided to start for them.

"Before you guys say anything," she said, "I just want you to know that I never meant any disrespect by keeping this from you. I wanted to tell you, but I was scared of how you'd react."

Sophie gave her a soft smile knowing how hard it was for Olivia to admit to being afraid. "We know that dear. In today's society, while its more acceptable now than it was when I was a girl, it is still not accept by all, but you never have to be afraid of that here Olivia. Love comes in rare forms, who are we to dismiss it based on gender?"

Olivia almost wanted to cry at how accepting the Cabots were about this. She had been worried over nothing.

"But that isn't why we said we needed to talk tonight, Olivia," Nathan stated.

"It's not?" Olivia asked, confusion showing clearly on her face. She looked to Alex, who just shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what her parents had wanted to talk about. Part of her couldn't help but think how adorable the brunette was when she was confused. However, now it was her turn to be confused as she tried to work out where that thought had come from.

"No, it's not," Nathan repeated.

"Ok, then what do we need to talk about?" she asked.

"Your punishment," Sophie said.

"Punishment?!" came the shocked replies from both girls sitting on the couch.

"What for?" Alex demanded.

"While we have nothing against you being gay, Olivia, you did break three house rules," Sophie said. "Last night, for example, you left the house, without telling us where you were going and you didn't meet your curfew."

Olivia nodded her head, knowing that she couldn't argue her way out of that one.

"We're going to ground you for a week for each of those," Sophie said.

"Ok, what's the third one?" she asked tentatively.

"You had Andy up in your room," Nathan said, "you know that isn't allowed."

"Olivia didn't break any rules, Dad," Alex said. When both her parents looked at her with expressions asking her to explain, she continued. "That rule clearly states 'No _Boys_ allowed in the rooms."

Nathan and Sophie looked at each other, knowing they're daughter was technically right. Nathan raised his eyebrow at his wife, silently asking what she wanted to do. Sophie thought for a moment. She smirked when the idea came to her.

"You're right Alex that is what the rule says." She waited until her daughter's smug smile appeared on her face before continuing. "But as of now that rule is rewritten to include girlfriends as well." She looked to Olivia who nodded her head in understanding, then turned back to her daughter. "And you, dear, will be taking the two weeks we were going to add on to Olivia's sentence."

"What for?" Alex asked, shocked that this had backfired on her.

"For being a smart ass," Sophie smirked. She then stood up and walked back into the kitchen, soon followed by Nathan, leaving the teenagers alone.

"Well this is just great," Alex huffed, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I'm sorry Alex," Olivia said. "You didn't have to try and defend me, thank you though."

"It's whatever, Olivia," Alex responded. She stood up and turned to face the brunette. "I'd say we're even now though." With that, she left the living room, heading in the direction of her bedroom.

All Olivia could do was laugh quietly to herself. She had already forgiven Alex for outing her, but if Alex needed to feel like she'd done Olivia a favor to make her feel better, then so be it. She wasn't going to complain about not being grounded for another two weeks. She decided to head for her own bedroom, thinking it was going to be an interesting two weeks.


	12. Chapter 12

Olivia sat in the kitchen forty-five minutes after the meeting with Sophie and Nathan. Because it was Saturday, they'd given each girl the opportunity to call a few of their friends to let them know what was going on and the official grounding would start on Sunday. Alex, being the more dramatic of the two, and immediately jumped on the chance to go first, and then proceeded to use up the first ¾ of the hour calling two of her friends to tell them almost every detail of what had happened. She left out the exact reason she came to Olivia's defense, much to Olivia's relief. She wasn't ready for the whole school to know about her personal life. She wanted her last few months of high school to be as drama-free as possible, which, if she thought about it, didn't make much sense since high school was nothing but drama.

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Olivia picked up the phone. She placed a five minute call to Amy, telling her she was grounded, but she would explain more at the game on Wednesday night. She then asked if Amy would mind calling George and fill him in on what was going on. As she hung up, Olivia wondered how it had been fair for Alex to spend forty-five minutes of their shared hour talking to friends she would see all week, while all of Liv's close friends and girlfriend didn't even go to her school. That meant she'd only be able to see them at games, at least Andy and George, and even then it was only if George had time to go before break. She would only see Amy when they played each other as Amy was on the basketball team at her own school. The odds of them playing the same night were pretty good.

Once again clearing her thoughts so she could focus on the task at hand, Olivia dialed Andy's number and spent the rest of left over time on the phone with her. Andy understood and said she thought something like that would happen now that the Cabot's knew what was going on. She was helpful enough to remind Olivia that she was only grounded until school got out. She would be free as soon as Christmas break started. Smiling, and feeling slightly better about the situation, Olivia told Andy good night, hung up the phone, and headed upstairs to get ready for bed. Maybe the next two weeks wouldn't be so bad after all.

***

Olivia couldn't have been more wrong. She was only three days into her fourteen day sentence and Olivia was going crazy. Not because she was stuck at home, that's what she usually did during the school week anyway. Alex, on the other hand, was not used to spending her nights at home.

On a normal day, Alex would go to a friend's house after school. There, she would do her homework and any studying she felt she needed to do. Then they would go to the mall. Alex never went to buy anything; she was more of a people watcher. She'd study them, and see if she could predict what they were going to do or at least try and guess what store they were headed for next. She was getting good at it and she was rarely ever wrong.

Now though, Alex was not allowed to practice her favorite hobby. She was stuck coming home right after school, just like Olivia. That meant that Alex was stuck going back and forth between moping around the house, or using Olivia as her subject to 'study' which meant she tried to stealthily follow her around in order to make predictions. During the moping sessions, the constant pouting and sighing annoyed Olivia more than she wanted to admit. She'd retreated to her room more than usual in order to avoid it.

While Alex was trying to play private investigator, Olivia focused on remaining as predictable as possible. She would sit quietly and read a book, or go about the house doing her chores. Part of her thought that if she remained uninteresting, Alex would eventually give up and find something else to occupy the rest of her sentence with. The other part, however, knew that Alex knew Olivia really wasn't that predictable and was just waiting to see if she'd be able figure out her brunette house mate.

Several times over the last few days, Olivia thought of doing something that would shock the young blonde. She could just imagine walking down the hallway towards her room, the blonde following slowly, but closely behind. She'd turn quickly and grab hold of Alex, pinning her against the wall, gently enough not to hurt her and still enough space to get away if she so chose. She could slowly lean in and place a soft kiss on her lips, and then just walk away to the sanctuary of her bedroom, leaving the blonde to try and figure out what the hell had just happened.

With a smirk on her face, Olivia came out of her thoughts and realized she had an audience. Without being obvious, she looked up like she was checking the time, and saw Alex sitting in the arm chair, pretending to read a book. Obviously the moping session had ended, Olivia thought to herself. She read for a little while longer until she heard the chime from the clock, indicating that it was time for her to leave for her game.

She ran up the stairs to grab her athletic bag. On her way back down, she could hear Sophie calling to her from the kitchen.

"Olivia!"

Olivia stopped and sighed before changing directions and going to the kitchen. "Yeah, Sophie?" she said as she walked through the doors.

"I just wanted to say good luck, and remind you that win or lose tonight, you need to come straight home. We're visiting a couple colleges this weekend."

Olivia smiled. "Thanks, Sophie, and I remember. It's all Nathan's been talking about all week. He can't wait for me to see Cornell."

At this Sophie laughed. "Yes, he is very fond of his Alma Mater," she said. "Have you given any thought to where you want to go next fall?"

"Yeah, some," Olivia responded. "But I want to see the campuses and talk to some of the faculty before I make a decision," she explained.

"That's probably a good idea," Sophie said. "It's not easy to pick a school when all you've got are the facts and figures college representatives send to you. Visiting the campus, and getting a feeling for the student life there is sometimes all you need to make your choice."

"I hope so," Olivia said. Sophie offered her a sympathetic smile. "Is there anything else you needed?" she asked, changing the subject. "I'm just about to leave for my game."

"No, there was nothing else," Sophie said. "But that does remind me. I think you should take Alex with you. It's only fair since you get to go out of the house during your punishment, and it's to the same event so it's fair."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Olivia responded. She left the kitchen and found Alex still sitting in the same chair as before. "Get ready to go," she announced, purposefully startling the blond. "Your mom said your coming to the game with me, that it's only fair since I get to leave the house."

At the explanation, the glare that had fixed itself upon the young girls face transformed into a look of confusion, then to a smile. She ran upstairs and made it halfway before she turned back. "Do you think she'd let Ricky give me a ride home?"

"I have no idea. You'll have to take that up with her," Olivia responded. "Either way though, I'm walking out the door in five minutes. If you're not ready, it's your loss." She hoped Sophie would not allow Alex to ride with her boyfriend. Not only would it be unfair since there was no guarantee Olivia would be seeing Andy tonight, but she never hid the fact that she did not like Ricky. Not only was he dating her crush, but there was something about the boy that kept Olivia alert.

Four minutes and thirty seconds later, Alex came back to the living room as her mother came out of the kitchen to see the girls off. Quickly, the younger girl asked her mother if it would be acceptable for her boyfriend to give her a ride home. Sophie agreed as long as she got home at the same time as Olivia. Alex gave an excited shout, hugged her mother and walked out the front door. Rolling her eyes and heaving an exasperated sigh, Olivia followed.

Once in the car and on the road, Alex turned to Olivia, a look of mischief in her eyes.

"Whatever you're planning, Cabot, keep me out of it," Olivia told her.

"Oh, don't worry Olivia," Alex replied. "It's nothing that you'll get into trouble for. Besides, you owe me Benson."

"Owe you?!" Olivia exclaimed. "How do I owe you Alex? I never asked for you to talk your parents out of a week of my grounding and into a week of your own."

"You didn't ask me no, but I did it anyway," Alex said. "So to show your appreciation, you should cover for me."

"Are you kidding me?" Olivia asked. "Wait. Cover for you? What exactly are you planning on doing?"

"Well, not really cover for me," Alex said. "More like don't tell on me."

"Alex," Olivia said in what Alex liked to call the 'cop' voice.

"I'm meeting Ricky at the game and he's going to take me out to dinner, but we'll be home right about the same time you will be," Alex explained quickly. She hated how that tone of voice made her feel guilty.

Right away, Olivia didn't like that idea, but Alex did have a point. She owed it to her to keep her mouth shut, but she would have to tell Cabots what happened if Alex was late. "Ok, Alex. But I'm not covering for you if you not home in time."

By this time the girls had made it to the high school. "Don't worry about, Olivia," Alex said as she opened up the car door. "I'll be home in time. Good luck at your game."

Olivia watched as Alex got out of the car. Not even making it a point to be seen at the game, she got into her boyfriends white camero and they sped off. She didn't have the chance to worry about it though because she had a game to play.

****

"What do you mean she just left?" Amy asked from her position right next to Olivia right before the tip off.

"Just what I said," Olivia responded quietly. "I'll tell you more after the game."

That was the last opportunity the girls had to actually talk. Aside from good natured ribbing, nothing more was said on the subject. When the final buzzer sounded both girls went to their respective locker rooms for the after game talk with they're teams. Afterwards, Olivia didn't even take the time to change. She threw her clothes in her bag, put her warm ups on over her uniform, and ran back out to the gym to meet up with Amy.

"Why did she just leave?" Amy asked as she came out of her own locker room. Olivia noted that she didn't take the time to change out of her uniform either.

"She said Ricky was taking her out tonight," Olivia explained.

"Aren't you guys still grounded?"

"Yeah we are, until Saturday."

"Why is that fair then?" Amy asked. "Yes you get to see me tonight, but that's school related. Besides, Andy couldn't make it because her parents volunteered her to babysit. Why should she get to see her boyfriend when you can't see your girlfriend?"

"She said I owed her," Olivia explained.

"OWED HER?!" Amy shouted. "You didn't ask her to get you out of your second weeks grounding."

"That's what I said," Olivia replied.

"So what are you going to do?" Amy asked.

"I'm going to go home and hope that she's already there, or at least gets there when I do."

"Good luck, Liv," Amy said. "I gotta get home though. You wanna come over Saturday night?"

"Yeah. I'll ask Sophie tonight, and I'll call you Saturday to let you know." Olivia said. She gave her slightly shorter friend a hug and walked out of the gym, heading toward her car.

All the way home she couldn't help but worry about Alex and whether or not she'd be home in time. As she pulled into the driveway though, she realized she didn't have to worry about it. Ricky's white Camero was parked on the street just to the side of the house. She gave a sigh of relief and got out of the car.

She noticed that the top to the car was down and saw both occupants were still sitting inside. Olivia couldn't help but feel jealous that it wasn't her in that car with Alex. Reminding herself that that was never going to happen, Olivia continued on her way inside. She stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Alex repeatedly saying no with a growing sense of urgency.

Dropping her bag, Olivia ran back to the parked car, finally seeing that both teenagers were in the back seat, Ricky practically on top of Alex. With her anger rising, Olivia grabs hold of the boy and pulls him off the young blonde and out of the car. "I believe the lady said no, asshole," she said through gritted teeth. She became even angrier when she saw that Ricky's zipper was already halfway down.

With the weight of her now ex-boyfriend gone, Alex quickly scrambled out of the car and starts to fix her clothing.

"Who the hell are you?" Ricky asked.

Olivia grabbed onto his collar and got right in his face. "You're worst nightmare unless you get the fuck outta here right now," she said darkly. She threw him to the ground and watched as he rushed to his car and sped away. She looked over at Alex, who was looking very unsure of herself. Slowly she approached the other girl. "Are you alright?" Olivia asked in a much softer voice.

"I'm fine," Alex replied, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

Olivia gave her a nod and started to walk back to the house. She stopped when she heard Alex speaking. "Olivia, why did you just help me?" Slowly, Olivia turned and gave Alex a look that clearly said "_are you serious"_ which prompted Alex to continue. "I mean, I've never been very nice to you, yet you saved me from something I can only imagine how horrible it would be."

Olivia took a deep breath before she replied. "Because, despite how we feel about each other, no one deserves to have that happen to them, Alex. No one."

Confused by the absolute conviction in Olivia's voice, Alex can't help but think there is more to the brunettes passed than she's been told. She also had a feeling that it must be something that Olivia doesn't want known. She decided to leave it alone for now, but one day, maybe, she'd ask about it.

"We'd better get inside before you're parents start to wonder where we are," Olivia said. The two girls went inside, both silently agreeing not to mention the event that had just transpired.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. It is my goal to finish this story before the end of the year. I don't know exactly when, but i will mark it as complete before December 31 2012. Thank you all qho are still with me. Comments are always welcome and engourage faster updates...hint hint. As always, they don't belong to me.**

* * *

The first campus visit went by in a haze for Olivia. She couldn't get the incident from Wednesday night out of her head. She had so many emotions warring within her. She didn't know if anger at the boy, and partially Alex for putting herself in the situation, or worry for Alex's well being was going to win.

She remembered trying to talk to Alex that night, wanting to make sure she was ok, but Alex acted as if nothing had happened. The only difference Olivia could see is she was just a little bit nicer to her. They left so early the next morning Olivia was unable to check on her.

They drove to Nathan's alma mater, Cornell, first. The plan was to spend the day on the campus. A guided tour first, and then Nathan would show Olivia some things students new about, but the administration wouldn't show you on a school guided tour. They would take a break for lunch and afterwards, Olivia would be given the chance to explore the campus on her own.

Olivia couldn't remember much from her time alone on campus. She talked to a few students, and even ran into a professor and talked with her for a while. Other than being a reputable school, there was nothing there that made Olivia feel like she belonged there. She hoped Nathan wouldn't be hurt when she told him it wasn't for her.

She arrived at McGraw Tower, home of the very unique Cornell Chimes, at three o'clock. She was thirty minutes early to meet the Cabots so she decided to sit on the steps and just listen to the chimes. Nathan had told her a little about this tower, as it was one of his favorite spots to study while he was a student. She couldn't imagine being able to play so many different styles of songs using just the twenty-one chimes housed in the tower, but she had a lot of respect for the chimesmasters who worked hard to play them well.

She was so caught up in the mid afternoon concert, she almost didn't notice Nathan and Sophie approaching. She could tell by the excited hand motions from Nathan that he was telling Sophie about the tower, and the smirk on Sophie's face told Olivia it was a story she'd heard countless times. She smiled softly at the older couple and hoped that one day she would have something like that.

"What are you smiling about?" Sophie asked Olivia, interrupting her thoughts.

Olivia returned the smile. "You two are cute together," she responded by way of an answer. The faint blush rising on Sophie's fair skin was not lost on the young brunette.

"Are you ready to head to the hotel?" Nathan asked, changing the subject and sparing his wife.

Nathan didn't wait for an answer but instead took hold of his wife's hand and led the way. Shaking her head and laughing softly to herself, Olivia followed after them.

Once they were checked into their hotel, they made their way down to the hotel restaurant for an early dinner. While they didn't have to leave nearly as early in the morning it was still a little over three hours to get to Siena.

As they ate, Nathan started talking about the visit. He was interested in hearing Olivia's thoughts as a prospective student.

"The campus is nice and the professors seem welcoming, but I'm not sure it's for me," she told him honestly.

"That's understandable Olivia," Nathan replied. "Just because it worked for me doesn't mean it's going to be what you're looking for. At least I got an excuse to see the place again." His last statement caused the ladies to laugh.

"What exactly are you looking for in a school, Olivia?" Sophie asked when the laughing had subsided.

"Does it make sense if I say I'll know it when I feel it?" the young girl asked.

"It does," Nathan answered. "When I was looking at schools I had a lot to choose from just like you do, Olivia," he told her. "My father though thought the choice would be easy. He was a Harvard man, and he expected me to be one as well. When he took me to see the campus, it didn't feel right. To me it felt pompous and arrogant. I didn't want that. I talked my mother into taking me to Cornell and as soon as I stepped out of the car, I felt at home. My father was furious with me when I informed him of my decision. He told me if I wanted to go to Cornell, I'd have to pay for Cornell. And I did," Nathan reminisced. Taking a sip of water he continued.

"I think I had two jobs at all times while I was in school, plus the odd homework assignment the jocks paid for," Nathan grinned mischievously. "But I made it through and I never once asked my father for help. When I graduated, he was so proud of me. He handed me a check to cover everything I had paid in tuition. I used that to pay my way through Harvard Law."

At this last statement, Olivia grew confused. "If you didn't want Harvard for your first degree, why did you choose Harvard for your law degree?" she asked.

"Well," Nathan started, "College is about how you feel. Any kind of professional school is about the best, and that is Harvard."

They ended dinner on a positive note, and made their way to their rooms. It was going to be an early day if they wanted to make it to Siena at a decent hour.

While the early start, or the annoyingly long drive were not something she enjoyed, Siena was everything Olivia hoped it would be. As they drove towards the administration building, she saw several spots she could easily see herself and friends studying or having discussions. The tour the school gave them, enhanced her liking of the school. She felt like she'd come home. The religious aspect of the school only unsettled her a little. She wasn't ready to be out to everyone yet anyway. She could hide for a few more years. After discussing it with Sophie and Nathan, it was understood that Olivia would be spending her next four years as a Saint.

When Olivia returned home Sunday night she felt like a huge weight had been lifted. She knew where she was going to school in the fall. Nathan said he was mailing the deposit in first thing in the morning. That thought alone made the smile on her face feel like a permanent feature on her face.

As she was climbing the stairs with her small duffle bag, Olivia thought about the coming weekend. She couldn't wait to tell Amy the good news. The Cabot's were letting Alex and her have a party to celebrate the New Year, but that was two weeks away. Olivia was being allowed to spend the first weekend of Christmas break at Amy's to celebrate her release from grounding. As far as Olivia knew, Alex was being allowed the same privilege.

Alex…

The thought of the other girl caused Olivia to stop halfway up the stairs. In all her excitement over finally picking a school, she'd totally forgotten about what had happened Friday night. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Coming back to her senses, Olivia ran quickly but quietly up the remaining stairs, down the hall to her room. She dropped her bag at her room and continued further down the hall. She wanted to check on Alex, but in a way that would not remind her what happened. As soon as she approached Alex's bedroom, Olivia decided she would just ask how her weekend had been. At the very least she'd be able to try and read Alex's body language.

She stopped when she got to the door. Olivia took a moment to calm her nerves and take a deep breath. Usually this door was considered forbidden territory. Hopefully tonight would be the exception.

Olivia knocked softly and waited as patiently as she could for a response. When she heard no sound come from the other side, Olivia began to get a little worried. She knocked a second time, but still nothing. Finally, when there was yet to be a response after the third knock, Olivia slowly opened the door. She was really hoping something was wrong just so she would have a reason to justify her actions. She did not want to be on the receiving ends of a lecture from Alex for entering her room uninvited.

Olivia cautiously looked around and felt stupid for feeling worried when she was what was before her. Alex was curled on her bed, hair fanned out above her head. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply. If Olivia needed any further indication that the girl was asleep, she need only look at the stuffed pink unicorn laying in the blonde girls arms. If Olivia hadn't felt so stupid herself for being worried, she definitely could have seen this as teasing ammo for years. But she was too relieved to worry about that.

As the relief of seeing the young blonde was ok, Olivia decided she wasn't to wake the other girl. She turned to leave the room when a sound from the bed stopped her in her tracks.

"Olivia."

_Busted_ Olivia thought. She turned slowly; ready to defend her actions, only to realize that Alex had spoken her name in her sleep. Part of Olivia hoped that the other girl was having a good dream and that she was part of it. But the more observant part of her had a feeling something was wrong. Alex no longer looked relaxed. Her face seemed to be contorted.

"Help me, Olivia," Alex shouted. "Rick…get off me. NO, what are you doing?"

Upon hearing the former boyfriend's name, Olivia rushed to the bed and started trying to wake the sleeping girl as gently as she could. It took a moment, but as soon as Alex had woken hope, she began gently sobbing. Without thinking about it, Olivia wrapped her arms around the girl, trying to comfort her.

Alex calmed down fairly quickly, but it took a moment for her to realize she was not alone, and yet another for her to think of who could be in her room. After the dream she'd just had, she should have been freaking out. She looked up, and was not surprised to find the concerned brown eyes of her foster sister looking down at her.

"You came in my room without permission," Alex said quietly.

The statement made Olivia smile. At least Alex was not affected too much if she could remember something like that right out of sleep. "I just wanted to come and check on you, and let you know that we were home," Olivia told her. "I saw that you were sleeping, and I was just about to leave when I heard you having a bad dream."

Alex shifted uncomfortably at hearing that. She put sat up and put some space between her and the other girl. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as a way of shielding herself. "What exactly did I say?"

Olivia could have used this moment to gloat, to make Alex remember that if it hadn't been for her…but she couldn't do it. She _wouldn't_ do it. This was hard enough on Alex that she didn't need anything added to it right now. "Just enough to give me a clue as to what you were dreaming about," Olivia responded. She watched as Alex sighed in defeat. "I'm here if you want to talk, Alex."

"Thank you, Olivia," Alex said as she looked up to meet her eyes.

Olivia didn't know if she was being thanked for comforting her, for offering a shoulder if she needed it, or for the event which they had failed to talk about yet. Whatever the reason maybe, she would gladly accept the gratitude.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Not ban, eh? 2 updates in just as many days. i had a lot down time between last night and this morning. The next update might not be ready until next week though. I've got a wonky work schedule the next few days, but I will write when i get the chance. I'll be working on Gambling With Love as well. I've got quite a few stories to knock into the "completed" pile. **

**The characters don't belong to me, and comments make me happy :)**

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The following week passed faster than either girl anticipated. Not only were they free from their grounding as of Saturday Morning, but they would also be free from school for two weeks. They each expected the week to drag on. It helped that the teachers kept them busy at school, and they tried to avoid each other at home.

It wasn't that they didn't want to spend time together. In fact that was one thing that concerned them, wanting to spend time with the other. After Sunday night, they didn't know how to act around each other anymore. Alex no longer wanted to act disinterested in her foster sibling. She actually felt like that would seem ungrateful, and Olivia deserved more than her bad attitude.

Olivia, on the other hand, was unsure whether or not she'd be able to keep a hold on her attraction to the young blonde. Since she'd felt what it was like to hold her, in such a compromising position as well, she wasn't sure she'd be able to control herself. She tried to tell her that it was just because she was missing Andy, that the two weeks apart had been harder than she'd realized, but deep down, she knew that wasn't the truth. She spent a lot of that week lost in her head, trying to decide if she should continue to see Andy when she knew the red head would always feel more for her than she could return, or if she should continue the relationship, hoping it would one day help her overcome her feelings for Alex.

Before either girl knew it, it was Friday afternoon. Alex said good-bye to her friends, Olivia met up with her coach to get the holiday practice schedule, and, after a silent car ride, they were home. Each girl went to her respective bedroom to get a start on any homework they had for over the break. Each justifying the action with the thought the sooner it gets done, the more time they can spend doing other things.

Sophie came to check on them a little while later. She was concerned with how quiet the house was when both of the girls were home. She found Olivia taking notes on a book she'd been reading for a book report, and Alex working on a math assignment. She let each girl know that dinner would be ready soon. As she walked down the stairs, she couldn't figure out what exactly was going on between the two teenagers, but she knew that something in the house had definitely shifted. Gone was the, for lack of a better word, anger that Alex projected towards the brunette. It was decidedly awkward. She decided she had better keep an eye on things. _Maybe Alex is going to realize it sooner than I thought_ Sophie thought to herself as she walked into the kitchen to finish the dinner preparations.

About thirty minutes later, Olivia heard the door down the hall open and close. She assumed it was Alex heading downstairs to help put the finishing touches to dinner. She waited about five minutes, believing she'd avoid the blonde in the hallway, and then decided to do the same. It was just her luck that the bathroom door opened just as she was walking past. She looked back and realized that she'd forgotten Alex rarely shuts her bedroom door if she's not inside. She tried not to look like a deer in the head lights when she came face to face with her foster sister.

"Geeze, Olivia," Alex exclaimed as she jumped in shock. "You scared me."

Olivia couldn't help but smile. "Sorry, Alex. I really didn't mean to this time."

Blue eyes narrowed at brown. "You mean before you've actually tried to sneak up on me?" She accused. The fact she was trying to fight a smile was the only thing giving away her amusement.

"What can I say," Olivia shrugged, "it let me practice stealth, and gave me something entertaining to do." Olivia would have marked it in on the calendar if it was possible, but her statement elicited the first real laugh she'd even caused from the blonde beauty. She smiled a little at the sound and decided she wouldn't mind be the cause more often. She mentally shook her head and was about to continue her way down the stairs when an unsure voice stopped her.

"Um…Olivia?" Alex said.

"Yeah?" Olivia responded. She turned so she could look at the other girl. She decided it was different having to look up at Alex.

"How would you feel about going to a movie or something tonight?" She asked Olivia nervously.

Olivia almost forgot to hide her shock. Alex was asking her to hang out with her? "Uh…not that I don't appreciate the invitation, but did you forget that we're still grounded?"

With that response, Alex smiled mischievously. "Technically we're only grounded for about three more hours," She replied as she checked her watch.

Olivia laughed at the younger girl's logic. "Alright, Lex. If you can talk your parents into it, I'm in." When Olivia realized what she'd called the other girl, she momentarily froze, waiting for girl to react.

Alex wouldn't have been able to explain it if she tried, but she genuinely liked the fact that Olivia had called her Lex. No one had ever dared shortened her name further than 'Alex,' not that she wanted them to, of course. "Let's go Benson. We've got parental units to persuade."

Olivia shook her head as the blonde passed her on the stairs. She wondered if this truce would actually last this time.

Dinner was seemingly normal. Alex readily volunteered information about her school day, while Olivia supplied the bare minimum information that told the Cabot's her day went well, she didn't get into trouble, and there were several practices in the next two weeks. As they were clearing their plates, putting the food away, and cleaning the kitchen, Alex broached the subject of the impending end of punishment.

"Mom. Dad," she started in her best professional voice, "Would it be possible for Olivia and me to go to a movie this evening?"

At first her parents didn't know how to respond. They looked to each other and held a silent conversation. On one hand, their punishment didn't officially end until tomorrow. On the other, they both knew the logic Alex would throw back at them. They'd been grounded on a Friday night, therefore it should end on a Friday night. Add that to the fact that in the four years Olivia had been living with them, this was the first time Alex had ever asked if they could do something together. By silent agreement, they decided that just this once, they'd give in without the anticipated argument. It was worth it to see the teens getting along.

"I don't see why not," Nathan replied. "In fact, consider it on us." He walked over to the counter and pulled two twenty dollar bills from his wallet and handed them to Olivia.

"What? Seriously?" Alex asked. Part of her was disappointed. She was fully prepared to argue the case as to why they should be allowed to go. The other part was just too excited she'd be getting out of the house to really care.

Olivia accepted the money with an equally shocked look. She'd honestly never thought they'd give in. She wasn't upset she'd be spending the evening out with Alex, she was just scared she was going to do something stupid or embarrassing.

"The two of you have behaved exemplary during your punishment," Sophie said. "There were no attempts to sneak out, no breaking any curfew we gave you, no matter how early it was. You didn't try to sneak anyone in, and you didn't even use the phone unless it was absolutely necessary. Consider this time off for good behavior."

Olivia and Alex shared a look while Sophie spoke, but the adults missed it. Technically Alex hadn't snuck out. She was told she could go out, just not to see the person she was with. They both decided they would keep that to themselves. The night itself was punishment enough.

"Wow, thanks guys," Olivia responded. She tucked the money into her pocket and finished drying the dishes. She hung the towel on the stove when she was done.

"What are you planning to see?" Sophie asked.

"We have no idea," Alex replied with a laugh. "To be honest I was expecting more of a fight."

Her parents both chuckled at that. "Well, in any case, have a good time tonight girls. And Olivia, in case you decided to head over to Amy's early tomorrow morning, have a nice weekend, dear."

Olivia nodded and watched the adults walk out of the kitchen. She turned to her companion. "Meet me at the car in five minutes?" Alex nodded and they both went upstairs to get ready to go.

Almost exactly five minutes later, Olivia and Alex were in Olivia's car on their way to the theater. It was, by mutual consent, a silent ride. But it wasn't altogether uncomfortable. Once inside, they looked at the movies playing. Immediately, Alex wanted to watch the new romantic comedy that had just opened. Olivia on the other hand was more interested in the thriller that had been out for a few weeks. After arguing for a short time, they agreed on a compromise. While neither had been expecting to go see a little kid's movie, they had to admit it looked interesting. They'd both seen the first two, and watched the cartoon as kids. They paid for the tickets, bought some popcorn, a drink and a few snacks courtesy of Nathan, and made their way to their theater.

It was an enjoyable experience for both of them. The movie, while slightly mind numbing, was entertaining with enough adult humor to make it interesting for them, even if it was lost on the majority of the children viewing it.

Walking back to the car, Olivia checked her watch and realized it was still early. "Do you wanna stop and get some Ice Cream, or did you want to just go home?" she asked.

Alex thought about it. She wasn't too thrilled about going home already, but she also knew that eventually the silence between them would become too much. If she decided to stop on the way home, they'd have to make conversation. "Why don't we stop? It's too early to call it a night."

Olivia nodded, surprised by the response. Without really even thinking about it, she walked to the passenger side of the car and opened the blonde's door for her. It didn't really register what she had done until she had taken her seat behind the wheel. Why was she treating this so much like a date?

The ride to the ice cream parlor was filled with thoughts, comments, and opinions on the movie, both bringing up parts they found humorous, or that they didn't like. They arrived and placed their orders. By unspoken agreement, they chose a table, not wanting to spill any of the dairy treat in Olivia's car.

As conversation of the movie died down, both momentarily feared an awkward silence would ensue. Alex decided now was as good a time as any. "I'm not sure if I said it the other night, but thank you for what you did."

At first Olivia thought she was talking about the bad dream. It took her a moment to realize she was talking about the night that triggered that dream. "You don't have to thank me, Alex. While I'm glad I got there before anything happened, I was just lucky to get home when I did."

"I know, but I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't stopped him," Alex said, with down cast blue eyes.

Olivia gave her s sympathetic smile. "Next time, just knee him in the balls."

That got the laugh Olivia had been looking for. "Can I ask you something, Olivia?"

"Sure, but only on the understanding that I don't have to answer," Olivia responded.

Alex nodded her understanding. "Do you remember what you said to me when we were walking inside that night?" With Olivia's hesitant nod, she continued. "Can I ask why you said it with so much conviction?"

Olivia looked down. She had a feeling this was going to be the question Alex wanted to ask, she just didn't know if she wanted to reveal the answer yet. "Um," she started. "I'm not sure I can tell you that answer yet, Alex. One day I will, but not yet."

Alex nodded her acceptance of the answer. Before the silence became too heavy, Olivia asked Alex about her childhood, at least the eleven years she was not present for. This conversation led them back the car, and filled the ride home, with Olivia adding a few of her own stories from the first few families she lived with.

They walked in the house laughing, but quietly so as not to wake Sophie and Nathan.

"Thanks for the invite tonight, Alex. I had a good time," Olivia said.

"Me too, Liv. Let's try not to make it four more years before we hang out again."

"Deal," Olivia responded.

They said goodnight, and made their way to their rooms. Each girl went to bed with a lot of things to think about, many of which had to do with the other girl just down the hall.


End file.
